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Ka Leo o Waialua: Preserving the Voice of a Community at the Waialua Heritage Center

October 3, 2025

The spirit of Waialua has long been celebrated in mele such as Ka Leo O Waialua, composed by Nālani Choy and Randie Kamuela Fong. Just as this song honors Waialua’s natural and cultural beauty, the newly created Waialua Heritage Center honors the region’s history, ensuring that the stories, people, and places of this special community continue to be shared and cherished.

Ka leo o Waialua, Kūpina‘i kuamauna, Ha‘aheo, Ku‘u home aloha;Lupalupa ka nahele o Kawailoa, Uluwehi ia uka, he nani lua ‘ole,Kani Pua‘ena i ka ‘ehu o ke kai, Hea maila ka leo o ke kūpuna ē, eō!Maluhia Lokoea iā Lani-Wahine, I ka nehe mālie kahi wai o Anahulu,E ola mau e Pauahi ē!

The voice of Waialua, strong and enduring like the elder trees, proud, my beloved home;The forest of Kawailoa is lush and thriving, verdant in the uplands of unparalleled beauty.The fragrance of the Pua‘ena flower drifts over the sea spray, calling forth the voice of our ancestors—indeed!Peace be upon Lokoea and Lani-Wahine, in the calm flowing waters of Anahulu,And may Pauahi live forever!”

Located in the historic 1936 Waialua Sugar Company Administration Building, the Center has become a vibrant gathering place where the past inspires the future. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will present a Programmatic Achievement Award to the Waialua Heritage Center at the 2025 Preservation Honor Awards for its thoughtfully curated exhibits, careful restoration, and dedication to education celebrating Waialua’s rich history.

The project began with a vision: to save the deteriorating 9,000-square-foot plantation-era administration building—designed by architect Mark Potter—that once served as the hub of sugar plantation operations. After the plantation closed in 1996, the building remained largely unused for decades. In 2023, the Hale‘iwa & Waialua Historical Society stepped in. Renting the former Manager’s Office, the team cleared away graffiti, overgrowth, and disrepair, laying the groundwork for a broader community vision.

Step by step, with community engagement, grant funding, and dedicated volunteers, the Society brought new life to the site. They restored parts of the building, hosted workshops, launched a Waialua Town Walking Tour, and saved thousands of historical documents and photographs from being discarded at the plantation’s closure. By April 2025, that vision had become a reality with the opening dedication of the Waialua Heritage Center exhibit, attended by more than 150 community members and supporters.

Rooted in the mission “to preserve and promote the history of Hale‘iwa and the Waialua Moku (district),” the Center’s exhibits explore the land divisions from Mokulē‘ia to Waimea Valley. It celebrates the depth of local history while instilling pride and a preservation ethic in the next generation. Through partnerships with organizations such as Dole Food Co., Waialua United Church of Christ, and the Waialua Hawaiian Civic Club, the Hale‘iwa & Waialua Historical Society has transformed a once-abandoned building into a thriving cultural space. It is now a site of memory and meaning—revitalizing community pride, preserving history and stories, and creating a gathering place for generations to come.

The Programmatic Award Honorees include the Waialua Heritage Center and the many partners who helped make the project a success: Hale‘iwa Waialua Historical Society, FAI Architects, Dave Robichaux, Margaret Sagaysay, Evelyn Kaneshige, Julie Patacchia, George Tanabe Jr., Cy Yamanoha, Boyd Ready, Antya Miller, Jus Painting, Paumalu Electric, Keith Awai, Dole Corporation, Larry Sagaysay, Hawaiian Historical Society, Karen Benally, Mike Fritz, Willa Tanabe, and Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archive.

The awards ceremony was held October 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, 2454 S. Beretania Street, Honolulu, in the Generations Ballroom.

“Reprinted with permission from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation blog, October 3, 2025.”