Who we’re in community with
Kaheāwai Media seeks to center the voices of aloha ʻāina and collective liberation movements across Hawaiʻi. We call the people who power these movements “kiaʻi” (protectors).
Kiaʻi have always led the way in caring for our ʻāina and fighting injustice — from Kalama Valley to Kahoʻolawe to Mauna Kea to Lahaina.
Yet, the mainstream media has chronically undervalued, marginalized and misrepresented kiaʻi in the public conversation, despite their generations of ancestral knowledge, lived experience and proven track record of protecting and preserving Hawaiʻi.
We want to help change that narrative by creating journalism that intentionally centers kiaʻi.
Our storytelling partners
Our storytelling projects are guided by community partners who help us determine the questions we ask, the sources we rely on, the narratives we uplift, the timelines we work around, and the calls to action for our audience.
These are the partners guiding our first storytelling project — wai{wai}: restoring abundance.
Nā Leo o Papakōlea Firewise
Kou, Kona, Oʻahu
Nā Leo o Papakōlea Firewise is a team of Hawaiian Homesteaders from the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine communities. Our mission is to make our homesteads a safe and thriving place to live by reducing the risk of wildfire destruction by activating our community with aloha and an eye toward our future generations.
I Ola Wailuanui
Wailuanuiahoʻāno, Wailua, Kauaiʻi
I Ola Wailuanui is a nonprofit community based organization formed and managed by Kauaʻi residents for the purpose of preserving, protecting and restoring Wailuanuiahoʻāno and the environmental, historical, and cultural treasures located therein.
Lāhainā Strong
Lahaina, Lahaina, Maui
Restoring Lahaina: for our people by our people.
Lahaina Strong is committed to rebuilding a more resilient, sustainable, and just future for Lahaina and all of Hawaiʻi — restoring our land, protecting our waters, and creating opportunities that put our people first. Join us in standing up for the future we deserve—every contribution brings us closer to lasting change.
Lahaina Community Land Trust
Lahaina, Lahaina, Maui
LCLT was created by Lahaina-rooted advocates following the Maui fires to keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands.
Our mission is to protect and perpetuate Lahaina, by empowering the Lahaina community to live, engage, and prosper, restoring and caring for its ʻāina and ea.
Our goal is to help keep Lahaina families in Lahaina, protect cultural and environmental sites and explore values-based economies as Lahaina rebuilds. Experienced and educated kiaʻi, we are organizing to ensure Lahaina lands will remain in the hands of our community for future generations.
