The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui County Council on July 25, 2025.
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July 25, 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 Analyst
Re: Bill 75 (2025), CD1 FD1 — 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 FD1, which would allow agricultural tourism activities such as lei making, carving, living history demonstrations and coffee roasting and tasting as 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, boost the sales of Hawaii-made goods to visitors and locals, and enable Maui’s farmers and ranchers to diversify their income sources and offset their operating costs.
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]
There are two minor changes that the Council could make to improve the current draft.
First, we suggest that the Council remove Section 15(h)(viii) which states that, “the [Planning Department] director may suspend the producer’s registration for three years and disallow continued agricultural tourism activities upon three violations of this chapter.”
Rather than create special penalties under this section, it might be better to leave violations of the agritourism provisions to the Maui Planning Department’s enforcement process.
In addition, we suggest that the Council change the requirement that the Maui Department of ‘Oiwi Resources “must” be consulted for guidance on activities related to the indigenous culture’s traditions to a suggestion that the department “may” be consulted. This is a small change, but it would prevent the possibility of confusion or delay.
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.
