PoliticalNews ReleasesLa`au Point

Monday, March 24, 2008 By Press Release

Molokai Ranch Shutting Down

Molokai Ranch to Layoff 120 Employees 

Molokai Properties Limited is to shutdown its operations on Molokai at the end of March.

The Company will lay-off more than 120 staff on the island over the following 60 days.

Company CEO Peter Nicholas said that staff had been advised of the company’s position at employee meetings on Molokai and in Honolulu today.

He said that MPL (better known as Molokai Ranch) intends to “mothball” the company’s assets on its 60,000+ acre property on Molokai.

“The decision is purely a business one,” said Mr. Nicholas.

“For the past five years MPL has been working with Molokai community leaders and community members on developing and implementing a Master Plan for MPL’s property and the future of Molokai.

“Unacceptable delays caused by continued opposition to every aspect of the Master Plan means we are unable to fund continued normal company operations,” he said.

Operations to be shut will be the Molokai Lodge, the Kaupoa Beach Village, the Kaluakoi Golf Course, the Maunaloa gas station, the Maunaloa Tri-Flex theatre, cattle-rearing, and the company’s substantial maintenance
operations.

As well as shutting these operations, MPL will close all access to its property indefinitely, said Mr. Nicholas. “We deeply regret to have taken this step as the main impact will be on our loyal employees,” he said.

“This will also be a bitter blow to Plan supporters, whose main interests in supporting the Master Plan have been a sustained economic future for Molokai.

“However, as we have mentioned on many occasions, without the prospect of an economic future for the company that results from the implementation of all facets of the Master Plan, we are unable to continue to bear large losses from continuing these operations,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer
Peter Nicholas

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Finding Pono For Molokai

Mon, 2008-03-31 10:14 — kauwila

Molokai has a destiny much greater than any individual or company.

Molokai has a unique purpose and an important role to play not only locally but also globally.

As the foundation of this island was laid so too was the PONO of this 'aina aloha. Pono in one sense, is the balanced relationship between Akua (God), Honua (earth/land) and Kanaka (man). When the people of Moloka'i moved away from this pono, Hina would call forth heavy winds to remind them of their kuleana to the land.

Throughout history and in modern times we have seen Moloka'i protect her own. We hear mo'olelo of how the people of old would stay on shore and pule as war canoes would come from other islands. And as they prayed the ocean would rise up and swallow those whose intention was to harm Moloka'i.

There are some among us, from both sides of this issue, who stood on shore and prayed and watched with chicken skin as the waves rose up and kept cruise ships out.

If you look back through the past thirty years or so, you will see that there have been a long line of companies and businesses that have come to Moloka'i with their own agendas to make money off our land and resources. In each case, these companies have collapsed. You can blame the activists, or the economy or a number of other things but the bottom line is that these companies failed because they were not PONO.

The closure of the Molokai Ranch is the most recent example of a business collapsing due to its lack of PONO. You cannot pretend pono (which is what the ranch tried to do for the past three years). The people of Molokai and the island herself cannot be fooled.

Let us move past anger and blame so that we can find PONO once again as our ancestors did.

It is time for each of us to examine our selves and our own actions. It is time to set things right, to ho'oponopono our own hearts, our families and our community. To heal the divide among us and come together as one ohana. In this way we can restore the PONO of our Kupuna and the land can once again flourish.

Aloha Moloka'i Nui A Hina, Moloka'i 'Aina Momona, Moloka'i Pule 'O'o, Molokai No Ka Heke.

E Ola Pono Mau Keia Kama A Hina .