Native Hawaiian group aims to buy back ancestral land

A Native Hawaiian community organization is working to acquire more than 55,000 acres of ancestral land from a Hong Kong-based billionaire investment firm for $260 million.

A long history: The expansive Molokai Ranch covers more than one-third of Hawaii’s Molokai island and has changed ownership multiple times across 150 years, beginning from the royal Hawaiian line. Its latest owner, Guoco Group, purchased the ranch in 2005 with plans to build 200 luxury homes and a five-star resort, but shut down operations in 2008 after fierce community opposition. The company listed the property for sale in 2017 at $260 million, where it has sat abandoned with barbed wire fences and “no trespassing” signs keeping people out.

Community mobilizes: Local community group Molokai Heritage Trust (MHT) has dedicated years to preparing for its planned acquisition. Through numerous public meetings across the island, the nonprofit says it ensured that “every decision, every document, [and] every step forward” was shaped by community members. Financing strategies under consideration reportedly include carbon credits, state partnerships and philanthropic collaborations. A recent Maui County resolution supporting the organization’s “efforts to restore community ownership of ancestral lands” is also expected to draw funds.

Why this matters: Land ownership carries profound cultural meaning for Native Hawaiians, extending far beyond property rights to encompass survival and environmental responsibility. Unfortunately, years of neglect at the ranch have generated multiple crises, from dilapidated homes to soil erosion to ecosystem disruption.

The big picture: The Molokai effort emerges amid widespread billionaire land acquisition across Hawaii and beyond, where technology executives have invested hundreds of millions in vast Hawaiian properties. Silicon Valley leaders have allegedly demonstrated habits of “snatching up” land in Hawaii, including Mark Zuckerberg’s 2,300-acre Kauai holdings and Oracle CTO Larry Ellison’s 98% control of Lanai island. Still, Molokai’s residents have consistently thwarted outside development, with the island’s 60% Native Hawaiian population demonstrating fierce independence.

MHT is expected to start fundraising once community planning concludes.