Nearly three dozen Native Hawaiians filled a courtroom Wednesday to stake claim to lands in Waiehu also claimed by Hale Mua Properties, which received approval from the county last month to proceed with a 240-acre subdivision.

"The real issue is the jurisdiction of the royal patents," said Oliver Dukelow, who was among those sitting and standing in the courtroom [...] to object to Hale Mua's request that it be granted fee simple ownership of property purchased from Wailuku Agribusiness.
[...]
Mahealani Ventura-Oliver, a title examiner frequently involved in questioning land ownership by the plantations, offered encouragement as the throng filed out of the courtroom. During an interview, she said that records of a 1926 Hawaii Boundaries Commission procedure showed that Wailuku Sugar Co. – the predecessor to Wailuku Agribusiness – "disclaimed all kuleana" from Waikapu to Kahakuloa, including the property that makes up the proposed Hale Mua project.

Ventura-Oliver [...] said those staking claims to the lands from Waikapu to Kahakuloa also plan to take their cases to the International Court of Justice in The Netherlands.

"This is a miscarriage of justice," she said. "It has to be dealt with."