My late friend and mentor Dick Rowland didn’t start the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii 25 years ago to be politically divisive. He would explain that instead of thinking about what is “left” or “right,” we must consider what will bring us down toward a more intrusive state — in which the bigger government gets, the smaller we get — or up toward liberty, which is the key to a brighter future.

Dick envisioned bringing people together to find common ground, guided by shared principles. I was filled with so much gratitude at Grassroot’s 25th Anniversary Gala last week as we celebrated that vision with nearly 400 supporters, staff and their family and friends who connect with our mission.

Grassroot has strived to become recognized as one of the most influential voices in public policy in Hawaii, and I am proud to say we are there.

Honolulu Civil Beat recently wrote that “What started a quarter century ago as one man’s mission to promote individual liberty and economic freedom in Hawaii has become a substantial force in effecting public policy statewide.”

But, as I said in my speech at the gala, our influence is not just about policy. It’s about people — the individuals and families who live in these islands.

Back in 2024, Grassroot launched a campaign to make life in Hawaii more affordable by lowering income taxes. Hundreds of our supporters testified. Lawmakers listened. And Hawaii enacted the largest income tax cut in state history — more than $7 billion over the coming years.

This year, we protected those tax cuts by showing policymakers where to cut existing government spending and waste.

Our staff have also shown policymakers how to cut through unnecessary regulations so that individuals and businesses alike are free to prosper.

We do all of this because we believe Hawaii can be a place where young people have greater opportunities to stay, families can afford homes, businesses can grow and residents can build their own futures.

One story I am proud of is about how Grassroot supported the dreams of Kaiulani Flores, who wanted to start a hair-braiding business on Maui. Hawaii’s occupational licensing laws stood in her way, requiring thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of irrelevant training.

Kaiulani joined us at the Legislature to support the passage of a bill that would make it easier and less expensive for hair braiders to become licensed. And together, we won.

Thousands of people across our state face similar burdens and need Grassroot to help change the policies that hold them back. But we can’t do that work alone.

When Dick Rowland started the Grassroot Institute 25 years ago, he intentionally chose not to use “Grassroots” — with an “s” — because he believed in the power of individuals who, like single blades of grass, become stronger when they stand together.

So I invite you to stand with us. Stay connected. Join us in this work. The future we envision for Hawaii will be built by people who believe that liberty matters, that opportunity matters, and that the people of Hawaii deserve the freedom to flourish.

As Dick used to say: “Upward!”

Reprinted with permission from the Sept. 12, 2026 “Presidentʻs Corner” of Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i President & CEO Keli‘i Akina, Ph.D.

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Port Allen Small Boat Harbor remains closed after Hurricane Lowell, with no reopening date for one of Kauai’s most important Na Pali Coast tour departure points. We went there over the weekend to see the damage firsthand, and what we found made clear why tour operations are still disrupted.

A sailboat sat partially submerged with its mast still standing above the harbor. Nearby, the bright blue hull of another boat floated upside down. Gangways were twisted and collapsed, sections of dock had broken loose, and along one side of the harbor the pavement had been undermined so seriously that parts of the concrete walkway were hanging over exposed rocks and water.

The damage comes at an especially difficult time for Kauai’s boat tour industry. Port Allen isn’t the only west-side harbor that’s closed. Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor in Kekaha, another major departure point for Na Pali trips, is also closed until further notice after Lowell, leaving operators and visitors with far fewer options as the limited North Shore boating season winds down.

What we found at Port Allen Saturday.

The scale of the damage was easier to understand standing there than in the first reports after Lowell. Some boats remained tied at docks that appeared intact, while elsewhere there were empty slips, displaced dock sections, and then the partially submerged vessels sitting in the water.

The shoreline infrastructure took an equally visible hit. One long stretch of pavement beside the harbor had been eaten away underneath, exposing the rock below it, while gangways farther down were folded and leaning at odd angles. It didn’t look like one isolated failure that could simply be repaired and put back into service.

State officials had already reported destroyed piers, multiple sunken vessels, and roadway damage at Port Allen after Lowell. The Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation still lists the Port Allen Small Boat Harbor as closed until further notice while it evaluates its condition and determines what happens next. There is no reopening date.

Two important Na Pali tour departure points are now closed.

Port Allen is where many of Kauai’s best-known catamaran, snorkeling, sunset, and fishing trips begin. We recently wrote about how every way to see Kauai’s Na Pali Coast compares, including our own catamaran trip from Port Allen.

Capt Andy’s, Holoholo Charters, Blue Dolphin Charters and Kauai Sea Tours are among the companies whose operations are based at Port Allen. As of Monday morning, Capt Andy’s has canceled all tours through Thursday, September 17 while it waits for harbor access to be restored. The company says it has not set a reopening date; however, reservations later in September and beyond remain in place for now.

Holoholo Charters has canceled tours through September 16 and says those cancellations could extend farther. For visitors already on Kauai or arriving soon, that makes checking directly with the operator especially important rather than assuming a booked trip will simply depart somewhere else.

Kikiaola would ordinarily provide another option. Capt Andy’s raft tours leave from there rather than Port Allen, and other Na Pali operators use the small harbor west of Waimea. We previously reported on how heavily commercial boat tours use Kikiaola, despite its small size.

DLNR says Kikiaola remains closed until further notice because of heavy-surf damage, with its condition still being evaluated. Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor on Kauai’s south shore is closed for the same reason.

Hanalei departures might resume Thursday, but the season is closing.

Hanalei departures also have an advantage because they start much closer to Na Pali than trips from the west and south sides.

The problem is timing and other North Shore issues. North Shore boat operations are seasonal because winter surf makes Hanalei increasingly unreliable, and some operators end their regular season around late September. As October approaches, Hanalei can’t replace the year-round capacity that Port Allen and Kikiaola normally provide.

That creates a very different picture from what visitors would ordinarily see at this time of year. The two west-side harbors that carry much of the Na Pali tour business are both closed, while the remaining North Shore option is heading into the part of the year when ocean conditions increasingly determine whether boats can go at all.

Port Allen’s two operations are easy to confuse.

Two different state operations run Port Allen. DLNR manages the Small Boat Harbor used by tour and recreational boats, while the adjacent commercial port falls under the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

The commercial port reopened after crews addressed its storm-damaged navigational buoys, and Kauai County said Saturday evening that Port Allen was open for operations except at night. That does not include the Small Boat Harbor we visited, which impacts tour boats. DOBOR still lists that facility as closed until further notice because of heavy-surf damage, as seen in our photo, with no reopening date.

Moving somewhere else isn’t necessarily simple.

The obvious question is whether affected companies can move their boats and customers to another harbor. Commercial tour operations are subject to state permits and Kauai harbor capacity, so an undamaged boat can’t necessarily relocate to another Kauai harbor and then start carrying passengers.

For now, anyone with a Na Pali boat trip booked whether from Port Allen, Kikiaola, or Hanalei, should contact the operator directly. The photographs we took Saturday show why predicting a Port Allen reopening is premature. Now a week after Lowell, boats remain partially submerged, and some harbor infrastructure is visibly torn apart.

Photo and Video Credits: © Beat of Hawaii.

By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.

Some of the most meaningful parts of Hawaii are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →