Day 1: The Sail Plan: A Vision for Reimagining Lahaina For All with Archie Kalepa
“We have one chance, and we have one chance to get this right. If we rebuild Lahaina only for Lahaina, we will fail. We have to rebuild Lahaina for all of Hawaii, for all of mankind, so that Lahaina can be the example of how we need to move forward for Hawaii and for the world. The SAIL PLAN for Hawaii is in your hands. It’s in all of our hands.” —Archie Kalepa
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
After the devastation of the Lahaina fire, the community is charting a bold new course forward— one guided by the values of nature and the wisdom of its people. The “sail plan” envisions an inclusive, sustainable future for Lahaina and beyond.
Archie Kalepa is a Lahaina native with decades of experience as a lifeguard and big wave surfer. Drawing on his deep cultural roots, Archie brings a unique perspective on navigating life’s storms and honoring the lessons of the past.
Tune in as Archie shares a stirring call to action— to rebuild Lahaina in a way that reconnects the community to the land, centers indigenous knowledge, and creates a climate-resilient blueprint for the future.
Highlights:
- 00:46 What is The Sail Plan
- 03:35 The Sail Plan is in Our Hands
- 06:30 What Our Community Wants
Tweets:
Lahaina’s ‘sail plan’ for the future: restoring nature, inclusive community, and a model for sustainable development. Learn more about this visionary blueprint for sustainable recovery with Lele Aloha CEO, Archie Kalepa. #Recover #Rebuild #Reimagine #podcast #wildfire #DisasterRecovery #AfterTheFire #2024WildfireLeadershipSummit #TheSailPlan #LeleAloha #Lahainawildfire #LahainaRebuild #SustainableDevelopment #IslandResilience
Quotes:
01:50 “As a lifeguard, as a big wave surfer, and as a waterman, I’ve learned the lesson of how important it is to understand and respect the ocean that surrounds you, to know the rhythm of the swell in your gut, to trust in your crew like your life will depend on it because in the chaos of the storm, your life will be in their hands and theirs in yours.” —Archie Kalepa
04:31 “The future we envision becomes people to be connected, no matter what race, no matter where you come from. It’s about falling in love and having respect for this place and being a true part of this community.” —Archie Kalepa
05:08 “We have one chance, and we have one chance to get this right. If we rebuild Lahaina only for Lahaina, we will fail. We have to rebuild Lahaina for all of Hawaii, for all of mankind, so that Lahaina can be the example of how we need to move forward for Hawaii and for the world. The SAIL PLAN for Hawaii is in your hands. It’s in all of our hands.” —Archie Kalepa
Meet Archie Kalepa, Maui Mayor’s Advisory Committee, CEO of Lele Aloha
Archie Kalepa is a native son of Maui and a descendant of the Konohiki, the traditional stewards of Lahaina. He embodies the spirit and resilience of his ancestors, carrying forward their legacy of safeguarding the community and ocean. Archie’s journey has led him to become a respected lifeguard, waterman, and cultural leader. He has dedicated his life to preserving Hawaiian culture, serving his community, and protecting the environment.
As a crew member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Archie sailed on long-distance voyages across Oceania, nurturing the ancient art of wayfinding. He played a prominent role in the successful Hokule’a Worldwide Voyage from 2014-2017.
Archie is the founder of Lele Aloha, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring Hawaii’s rich genealogy, protecting land and water resources, and building healthy communities. His unwavering commitment to Lahaina’s people and ʻāina inspires us all to embrace our heritage and strive for a better future.
- Website: https://www.lelealoha.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lelealohaofficial/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lelealohaofficial/
Transcription:
Archie Kalepa: Aloha, everyone. My name is Archie Kalepa, and I live in Lahaina. First of all, I’d like to thank our Ohana, our family from After the Fire, Reva and Jennifer, for coming to visit us when we needed the help the most, letting us know that we’re not in this alone. What I’d like to share with you is my thoughts on what a sale plan would be for the future Lahaina, and I’ll tell you the story. I can remember the feeling of my feet on the deck of the canoe, looking back at my ohana, my family, on the beach, the moment we’re leaving for my first deep sea voyage like it was yesterday. We’re sailing off with an idea of our destination in mind, with the ambition and optimism of youth, under the steady watchful eye of our captain, our navigator, and our ancestors. Like you today, we’re privileged to have undergone training by the best of the best. Like you, years of learning, years of preparation, and then it was time to go, and with joy, our crew set off towards the horizon. Since then, I’ve sealed many voyages, many 1000’s of miles and in between, but as a lifeguard and as a big wave surfer and as a waterman, I’ve learned the critical lesson time and time again, the lesson of how important it is to understand and respect the ocean that surrounds you.
To know the rhythm of the swell in your gut, to trust in your crew like your life will depend on it, because in the chaos of the storm, your life will literally be in their hands and theirs in yours. We as a people have been voyaging for 1000s of years. We understand voyaging and we understand storms. In Lahaina, in Hawaii, we have been sailing in a different kind of storm for the last 150 years. This has been the storm of westernization, industrialization and colonialism. This is a storm reached its heroic peak on August 8 an overwhelming flames and destruction, leaving a sea of ash and grief in its wake. This canoe, our Lahaina, is broken. We need to mend her. The fire burn the land raw and expose the underlying wounds from this 150 year storm for the world to see, the decades of rerouting Lahainas life giving waters to feed industry, instead of Aina our land, it left crisp grasses and arid lands literally tender, that fed the flames. The impossible Cost of living that compressed 1000s of families into homes that no longer exist. These issues have come to the surface, showing themselves in the urgency, in the ash of Lahaina. In the wake of this storm, the people of Lahaina, we know how to sail through a storm. This is living proof. We’re still here, resilient. We know how to sail through a storm and endure our future generations will survive. What we must remember, as a people, is how to sail around a storm. We’ve been using the magnetic Northwestern compass, but it’s not the navigational principles for this place.
For our people, we are ready to place ourselves back within the Hawaiian star compass, a compass that is based around values of nature. As we will center ourselves within the Star compass based on the values of nature. These same values of the Hawaiian people need to be the starting point for Lahaina, for Hawaii. The future we envision becomes people to be connected, no matter what race, no matter where you come from? It’s about falling in love and having respect for this place and being a true part of this community. It is important all of us to have a voice. It’s more important than ever in creating the seal plan for the way forward. We have to make sure we hear from all of those who can help change this place for the better. We have one chance. We have one chance to get this right. If we rebuild Lahaina only for Lahaina, we will fail. We have to rebuild Lahaina for all of Hawaii, for all of mankind, so that Lahaina can be the example of how we need to move forward for Hawaii and for the world.
The sail plan for Hawaii is in your hands. It’s in all of our hands. And if we get this right, it will be the model, a beacon for the world. It’s a tremendous kuleana responsibility and an urgent one. Remember this moment, remember the feeling of the deck beneath your feet. As you depart on this voyage draw strength from the lessons of your teachers and the wisdom of your ancestors, and listen carefully the captains and navigators in your life who will continue to help show you the way. The sail plan we designed together will lead us far beyond the horizon of what we can imagine today and tomorrow, and I’m honored to be here to tell you Mahalo and thank you, Aloha.
So what our community wants, we want the water returned into public trust, to replant our forest so that it can create a healthy place for us to live. Rebuild a community around climate change, to include shoreline retreat, safe power lines. We also want to minimize the short term rentals in all of Hawaii. Businesses that are commercialized around Hawaii’s resources. Have the kuleana the responsibility to learn and teach the names of places and why those names are significant to those places, the importance of ao poise and how they sustain the community. These are things that need to happen for the future of Hawaii, have a clear understanding all of things Hawaiian. Be inclusive of our community, of all ethnicities, the kuleana and the mindset of Hawaii first. I want to introduce to you our mayor’s advisory team, Kaliko Storer, Laurie DeGama, Earl Kukahiko, Nestor Ugale, and Kim Ball and myself, Archie. I’m sorry that I cannot be there, but I want to say mahalo and thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent our community, my home, place that I love, Lahaina. Thank you.