The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui County Council on July 8, 2025.
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July 8, 2025, 9 a.m.
Kalana O Maui Building
To: Maui County Council
Alice Lee, Chair
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Researcher
Re: Bill 75 (2025), CD1 — RELATING TO THE COMPREHENSIVE ZONING ORDINANCE ON AGRICULTURAL TOURISM
Aloha Chair Lee, Vice Chair Sugimura and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 75 (2025), CD1, which would allow agricultural tourism activities such as lei making, carving, living history demonstrations and coffee roasting and tasting as by-right accessory uses in agricultural districts.
By letting more Maui residents participate in the island’s biggest economic engine, tourism, this measure would foster small-scale entrepreneurship, enable Maui’s farmers and ranchers to diversify their income sources and offset their operating costs, and boost the sales of Hawaii-made goods to visitors and locals.
Grassroot also supports Councilmember Gabe Johnson’s proposed floor draft to the bill, which would remove the Maui Planning Department’s authority to prohibit a farmer or rancher’s agricultural tourism operation for up to five years in case of noncompliance with the rules set forth in this bill.
Violations of the zoning ordinance — including those relating to agricultural tourism operations — should be handled by the Planning Department’s current notice-of-violation and enforcement process.
The floor draft would also change the requirement that the Maui Department of ‘Oiwi Resources approve all tourism activities related to indigenous cultural tradition into a consultation. Instead, the applicant would be allowed to consult with the department in order to avoid cultural misappropriation.
Basically, this amendment would allow the Department of ‘Oiwi Resources to be involved in agricultural tourism without having the authority to deny an application or add significant delays to the application process.
As the bill points out, agricultural tourism activities are in accordance with Maui’s Countywide Policy Plan and the Maui Island Plan, both of which emphasize the need to promote the teaching of traditional practices and the diversification of the tourism industry.
The Maui Department of Agriculture’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan also emphasizes the importance of this approach. It states that “to expand agritourism on the island of Maui, efforts could be made to develop and promote agritourism infrastructure, such as farm stays, campgrounds and event venues; this would allow visitors to experience the daily workings of farms and ranches, and provide more opportunities for educational workshops and hands-on experiences.”[1]
The draft Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan also recognizes the potential of agritourism. Its Goal 3 relates to vibrant local food economies, and states: “When appropriate, encourage forms of agritourism that support agricultural education opportunities for the community and help to connect residents to their food system.”[2]
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] “County of Maui Department of Agriculture (MDOA) 2024–2028 Strategic Plan,” Maui Department of Agriculture, p. 133.
[2] “Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan,” Second Draft for Public Comment, Maui Department of Agriculture, December 2024, p. 32.
