Huliau Leadership Council
The Huliau Leadership Council is open to students in grades 9-12 from all Maui County schools who have an interest in environmental leadership. Members meet twice a month to plan service projects and other environmental leadership projects.About our 2026-2027 School Year Program
Our 2026-2027 Leadership Council will meet twice a month from September until May (14 total meetings), plus four additional service days on weekends throughout the year. These may include projects such as beach cleanups, tree plantings, and farm or loʻi workdays. The program will start with an overnight orientation. Following the orientation, in-person meetings or mini field-trips will be held the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30-5:30pm, and virtual meetings will be held the third Wednesday of the month from 4:00-5:30pm. At meetings, students will learn about environmental issues on Maui from various community groups and plan future service projects and guest speakers. You can see examples from last year’s program below. The program ends with an overnight inter-island trip in late April.
Students entering grades 9-12 are welcome to apply for this free program using the button to the right and our staff will contact you with more details. All sessions are required and students who miss more than three sessions will not receive a certificate of completion or be able to participate in the year-end trip.
Tentative Schedule details:
Orientation Date: Sept 16th (virtual) & Sept 19th & 20th Mandatory overnight orientation
In-person meetings/field trips 3:30-5:30pm 2nd Wednesdays: Oct 14th, Nov 11th (service project), Dec 9th, Jan 13th, Feb 10th, March 10th, April 14th
Virtual meetings 4-5:30pm 4th Wednesdays: Oct 28th, Nov 25th, (no Dec) , Jan 27th, Feb 24th, March 24th
Service projects and other weekend dates: 1-2 fall service projects, 1-2 spring service projects, and tentative off-island trip in April
Applications for this year’s Leadership Council is now closed.
2025-2026 Leadership Council Projects & Photos
Below are some of the projects and events that the leadership council has participated in during the 2025-2026 school year.
April 2026 ♦ Leadership Council End-of-Year Off-Island Trip
Oʻahu
Our Leadership Council traveled to Oʻahu for a weekend full of hard work, fun, and learning! ✈️ We spent most of our weekend in the ahupuaʻa of Koʻolaupoko from mauka to makai joining various ‘āina-based organizations working to protect and restore the area’s natural resources. We spent our first morning with staff from the Coral Resilience lab at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology. Our students went on a walking tour of Moku o Lo’e, learning about the island’s storied past followed by a hands-on photogrammetry lab. 🚤🪸📸 Then we headed to Kāko’o ‘Ōiwi. While there, we “huli ka lima i lalo” and helped to weed out one of their many lo’i kalo.
On day two, we traveled to Kailua to help out at Kauluakalana’s community work day at their ‘āina, Makali’i. Students split up among the various work stations and helped out with weeding, moving debris, building up berms, and cleaning kalo. When all the hana was finished, the staff shared stories of the organization’s namesake and provided a delicious lunch of kalo pa’a and palula stew. 🍴📖
On our last day, we spent the morning exploring the various exhibits at Bishop Museum. Some highlights of the visit included seeing the Ea Mai ‘Eiwa exhibit dedicated to Kumu Hula Nālani Kanaka’ole, learning about various ali’i in the Kāhili Room, and experiencing the Aloha Bricks exhibition.
April 2025 ♦ Nohona Health LLC
Waikapū
Nohona facilitated a lāʻau lapaʻau scavenger hunt around the farm, where students identified native plants such as ʻuhaloa, ha`uoi, and ʻōlena. Students toured the space, spent time studying and researching these plants and their medicinal benefits, and shared their findings with the group. They also learned how to properly harvest ʻuhaloa, commonly used for respiratory support, and helped prepare an order for a local practitioner. The day closed with resources to stay connected, along with pīkai kits and bags of ʻōlena to take home. 🫚💛 It was an overall insightful and grounding experience that opened our eyes to the plants and kūpuna all around us, now seen with deeper awareness as sources of medicine and strength. ☀️🌱
March 2025 ♦ Maui County Department of ʻŌiwi Resources
Wailuku
This month the Leadership Council spent the morning with Maui County’s newly established Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, getting a hands-on look at the people and work behind one of the county’s newly established department. 🏢
Students moved through three stations, each one a different window into DʻŌR’s work. With the Kīpuka Division, they dove into the history of Lahaina and Mokuʻula, uncovering the layers of historical and political significance that make this place so sacred and worth protecting. With the Kumuwaiola Division’s archaeology team, they sorted through real items from a recent project, including shells, glass, and a few mystery pieces that sparked some curiosity for our students🐚🔎. And with the Pai ka Leo Division, they learned the mele Nā Moku o Maui, tracing all 12 of Maui’s moku through song, and explored what it means to be the first official bilingual government department in the county.
February 2025 ♦ Waiheʻe Grocery
Waiheʻe
Our Leadership Council spent Sunday in Waiheʻe with ʻOhana Rodrigues. They worked helping clear a space to open a new loʻi, pulled weeds in multiple patches, and visited the ʻauwai system the farmers of Waiheʻe rebuilt together. Our Leadership Council gained a deeper understanding of the working of the farm and the work it takes to put poi on the table.
January 2025 ♦ Maui County Stormwater Management Program
Wailuku
Prior to this in-person experience, our Leadership Council met virtually with the County of Maui Stormwater Management program to learn about Maui’s stormwater system and the importance of being mindful about what goes down the drains. Then, our students took part in a storm drain stenciling session. We split up into two groups and walked down Eha St. in Wailuku. At each storm drain, we dusted off the area, placed the stencil, and each student took turns spray painting the design that read “No Dumping, Drains to Ocean”. In total, we spray painted signs on 20 storm drains!
December 2025 ♦ Maui Tea Farm & Skyline Hawaiʻi
Kula
Students visited Maui Tea Farm for a farm tour and service project, where they joined alumni to gather locally sourced materials from the farm for a wreath-making fundraiser hosted by our Alumni Council. Students then wrapped up the day with a zipline tour at the neighboring Haleakalā Zipline.
December 2025 ♦ Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
Kihei
This month our students spent time with Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC). One of our Leadership students, Keli, has been working with KIRC for her senior project and helped to coordinate this visit!
We learned about KIRC’s restoration work and the deep, storied history of Kahoʻolawe. We then put our hands to work planting a wiliwili tree on site, gathering maʻo seeds, and propagating other native plants. So grateful to our host, Ross and the KIRC team, for the chance to connect and give back!
November 2025 ♦ Pacific Whale Foundation
Māʻalaea
Our students spent time with the Pacific Whale Foundation. 🐋 Students learned about their marine debris and conservation programs and heard about how each of their staff members found their path in marine conservation. Then, we all put on gloves and grabbed some trash pickers to clean up around the harbor! After collecting debris, students helped sort and categorize everything to better understand the impact of ocean litter on our marine ecosystems. Mahalo nui to PWF for inspiring our future ocean stewards. 🌊
October 2025 ♦ Common Ground Collective
Haʻikū
This month, our students spent time with Common Ground Collective, which works to build a resilient food system by rescuing local produce, supporting farmers, and providing fresh food to our community. As part of this mission, students helped wash and pack fruit for donation across Maui.
September 2025 ♦ Mālama Kaʻehu
Waiʻehu
Our first program huakaʻi was to Mālama Kaʻehu! This organization is a community nonprofit working to restore Kaʻehu Bay, once abundant with kalo patches, fishponds, freshwater springs, and a sacred lauhala grove. Our students joined them to learn about the different parts of kalo, help mālama the loʻi, and weave lauhala bracelets.
August 2024 ♦ Huliau Leadership Council Orientation
Waiheʻe Refuge
Meet this year’s council members during their overnight huakaʻi and orientation over Labor Day weekend! From August 30–31, they camped at Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge, connecting with ʻāina through a beach clean up and propagating ʻakiʻaki to help restore the coastline.
💚 Our 2025 Leadership Council includes 16 students from 5 different schools across Maui, and we’re so excited to share their journey of service, leadership, and aloha ʻāina throughout the year.
Our Huliau Leadership Council students created Instagram posters as part of our #EyesonCOP26 social-media campaign encouraging world leaders at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow to take meaningful action on climate change. You can check out all their posters and other climate-related art and projects on our new “climate conversations” page.
