ESG and Indigenous Community Relations in Hawaii

Summary of the paper

"Beyond Land Acknowledgment" is an ISPI commentary on what substantive ESG accountability looks like for corporations operating on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island lands.

It notes that the land acknowledgment has become a common feature of corporate ESG communication in Hawaii, and argues that such a statement is not, by itself, community accountability. It describes the accountability dimensions that standard ESG metrics miss and the security practices that shape community trust.

What the paper finds

• Standard ESG metrics are too general. Land and resource relationship transparency, cultural impact assessment, indigenous governance engagement and revenue sharing are not adequately captured by standard community relations metrics.
• Security practice is part of accountability. How security personnel interact with Native Hawaiian community members exercising traditional rights, and how security infrastructure is used near culturally significant sites, affects community trust.
• Five practices mark substantive accountability: governance engagement in decisions affecting community lands, transparent accounting of cultural and environmental impacts, local and indigenous hiring, community benefit agreements, and culturally competent security practices.

What it recommends

• Develop Hawaii-specific ESG accountability standards with Native Hawaiian community organizations.
• Develop a corporate security accountability framework and practitioner guide for operations in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island cultural contexts.
• Advocate for indigenous community relations metrics in federal ESG disclosure requirements.

Who it's for

Corporate ESG and sustainability officers, security directors, landowners and developers, investors, and Native Hawaiian community organizations.

Further reading

• Philippines: Public Safety Policy for the World's Most Complex Archipelago
• CM-05: Security, Risk, and ESG in Island Operations
• WP-12: Corporate Security and ESG Risk Policy for Island and Pacific Operations

Cite as

Pulley, Warren (2026). Beyond Land Acknowledgment: What Genuine ESG Accountability Looks Like for Corporations Operating on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island Lands (ISPI CM-15). Island Security Policy Institute, Honolulu. https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/cm15-esg-indigenous-hawaii https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23449945

@techreport{ispicm152026,
  author      = {Pulley, Warren},
  title       = {Beyond Land Acknowledgment: What Genuine ESG Accountability Looks Like for Corporations Operating on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island Lands},
  institution = {Island Security Policy Institute},
  address     = {Honolulu, HI},
  number      = {ISPI CM-15},
  year        = {2026},
  url         = {https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/cm15-esg-indigenous-hawaii},
  doi         = {10.5281/zenodo.23449945}
}

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