It is a month since wildfires destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui in the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii's history, and a series of gatherings in Aotearoa will be held in support of those affected in Maui.
The fires, on 8 August, spread rapidly because of very dry conditions caused by a drought, combined with powerful winds. The inferno burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground, leaving thousands homeless and 115 people dead.
Hawaiians living in New Zealand are holding a series of fundraising Mele and Mo'olelo for Maui events (song and storytelling) to support their family and friends on Maui - and raise awareness about what life is like there now.
Keonilei Fairbanks Leali'ifano has just returned to Tāmaki Makaurau from Hawaii and told Checkpoint that the event would be telecast in Hawaiian from Maui to the Factory Theatre in Onehunga on Monday night.
At the same time, people would also join in, in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, with the venues linked together through Zoom.
"When we were thinking about what we could do for Maui all the way here in Aotearoa ... the initial step we thought was to create a space for us to gather and do what we do best, which is to share our mo'olelo - our stories with one another, and in true Hawaiian fashion to remember through mele - through songs," Fairbanks Leali'ifano said.
"It's really exciting, we'll be able to see each other, hear each other and just gather in solidarity with our friends and family in Maui."
Talking with those from Maui about the scale of the destruction on her return home to Hawaii had been confronting, she said.
"The sheer magnitude of what's actually happened, it's devastation at all levels. Just everything is gone in these areas where there was once a thriving cultural centre for Hawaii.
"And remembering that we can really stop and consider what all [the] communities have lost ... the most beautiful thing about the Lahaina community is how they are already rising up from the ashes. And already beaming that aloha that people have been sending toward them right back out out into the world."
Many of those in Lahaina fled to the sea to escape the fast-moving fires, with vehicles left standing at the waterfront becoming burned-out wrecks. Photo: Office of Hawaii Governor Josh Green
She hoped people would offer what support they could.
"I think it's just keeping Maui in your thoughts, in your prayers, and if you can, kokua - support, ... donate, because it's going to be an ongoing restoration and rebuild of this community."
