Kanu Hawaii

About us

Kanu Hawaiʻi started in June 2006 as a movement of kānaka, working to protect and promote the things that make Hawaiʻi special. A connection to the ‘āina, the Native Hawaiian culture, aloha, and local self reliance. The founders created this organization to strive toward change rooted in kuleana (responsibility) and a commitment to be the change. Kanu’s core of forty people, who collectively worried about Hawaiʻi’s future and deeply believed in its potential, transformed this worry into action with campaigns centered on environmentally sustainable, compassionate, and economically resilient communities, with a focus on Native Hawaiians.