Hawaiian Homelands officials are urging beneficiaries to formally name a successor for their applications and leases, warning that skipping this step can tie up land and waitlist spots for generations.

• Successorship lets a beneficiary transfer their homestead application or lease to a qualified relative (spouse, child, grandchild, or sibling) when they pass away.
• Eligible successors need to be 50% Hawaiian by blood for applications still on the waitlist, but only 25% for an already-granted lease.
• Each application can only have one named successor, but a lease can be split among multiple children with no limit.
• The biggest reason families skip this step is simply not being able to choose among several kids, officials say talking it over with the whole family ahead of time avoids later disputes.
• The department is pushing toward a goal of 5,000 new leases issued by 2027, with land opening up on Oahu and the neighbor islands.

Outlook: Beneficiaries are encouraged to contact their local DHHL district office or check dhhl.hawaii.gov soon to file a designation of successor before it becomes an issue.