The Senate Committee on Water and Land on March 7 advised and consented to three governor’s nominees to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, confirming Gerald Gardner for the Kailua district (term to 6/30/2026), Miki Ala Litstone as an at‑large cultural specialist (term to 6/30/2027) and Deborah Kabibi for the Pulehunui district on Maui (term to 6/30/2028).

The nominees were introduced with testimony from Craig Nakamoto, executive director of HCDA, who said he "wholeheartedly support[s]" Gardner’s nomination and later described Lidstone and Kabibi as valuable additions given their community ties and roles. Supporters from Holomua Collective and several individuals filed and delivered testimony in support of the nominees.

Why it matters: HCDA governs community development districts, oversees infrastructure planning and rulemaking in designated areas and can influence housing, workforce and cultural‑resource outcomes. Committee members questioned nominees about site‑specific issues at Kalailoa/Kailua (a military hangar proposed in discussions as a modular housing factory) and about infrastructure planning and water supply for the Pulehunui district on Maui.

Gardner, Lidstone and Kabibi: background and committee discussion
- Gerald Gardner (nominated for the Kailua district): Gardner told the committee he is an urban planner with a master’s from Virginia Tech and works at UHERO on housing affordability and disaster recovery. Craig Nakamoto said Gardner "has been an invaluable resource" since serving as an interim board member. Gardner described attending HCDA meetings and contributing to administrative rule comments, including the 99‑year lease administrative rules. During questioning, members raised a recent news report and proposals about a hangar at the Kailua airport; Gardner said he knew only part of the history and that his understanding was the land had restrictions tied to educational uses that were later lifted.
- Miki (Mickey) Ala Litstone (at‑large cultural specialist): Nakamoto described Lidstone as a cultural practitioner with experience serving Kalailoa as a small business/nonprofit representative and as board secretary. Lidstone told the committee she attended HCDA meetings to learn and listen to Native Hawaiian testifiers and said she seeks balance in representing cultural perspectives.
- Deborah Kabibi (Pulehunui district, Maui): Nakamoto said Kabibi and another Maui district member will be important community liaisons for the Pulehunui infrastructure project. Discussion focused on early planning work: HCDA has engaged a design‑build contractor (Hawaiian Dredging and partners), completed a planning assessment and is developing a community outreach plan. Nakamoto told members "water is the biggest need" for the district and described DLNR exploring brackish water filtration, r‑1 reuse and other sources. He said the initial design‑build contract is not sufficient to cover all long‑term infrastructure needs and that additional legislative funding will likely be required.

Committee action
The committee voted to advise and consent to each nomination. Chair Inouye and the vice chair voted aye on the confirmations; no no‑votes were recorded and the committee adopted the recommendations for all three nominees.

Ending: With the confirmations completed, the committee concluded its March 7 hearing.