This is a positive-news update on Hawaiian Home Lands, framed as good news for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who have waited years or decades for land leases.

• An Oahu commissioner on the Hawaiian Homes Commission says the agency has roughly doubled its normal pace, issuing about half a century's worth of leases in just the last two years compared to historical rates.
• Beneficiaries who moved away from Hawaii, some living on the mainland for decades, are now being awarded leases and able to return home.
• The commission wants to change the current blood-quantum eligibility rule, which it says is outdated and limits who can qualify as a beneficiary.
• Progress is credited to cooperation between the commission, the department's staff, the legislature, and the governor's office.

Outlook: The commission expects lease awards to keep accelerating and is pushing lawmakers to update eligibility rules to reach more Native Hawaiian families.