Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly expanded his sprawling estate on the Hawaiian island of Kauai by nearly 1,000 acres, intensifying local concerns over land use, cultural preservation, and billionaire influence in Hawaii.
Why Some Hawaiians Aren’t Happy
According to The New York Post, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, acquired 962 acres of ranch land at an estimated the cost at more than $65 million, bringing the couple’s total holdings on Kauai to over 2,300 acres. The property’s market value is reportedly around $75 million.
He first stated to buy land in 2014 but hit a legal snag. In a lawsuit he filed in 2016, the Facebook CEO sued hundreds of Hawaiians to compel them to sell small plots of land within a 700-acre property he purchased on Kauai for $100 million. Zuckerberg-controlled companies filed eight “quiet” title lawsuits on Dec. 30, 2016, seeking forced public auctions. These plots, totaling about 8 acres, are kuleana lands, which were granted to Native Hawaiians in the 1800s, and have remained in families for generations. Some defendants are deceased; others may not know they hold fractional ownership.
Zuckerberg said: “For most of these folks, they will now receive money for something they never even knew they had. No one will be forced off the land.” His lawyer stated, “Quiet title actions are the standard and prescribed process to identify all potential co-owners, determine ownership, and ensure that, if there are other co-owners, each receives appropriate value for their ownership share.”
Today, Zuckerberg is still snapping up land. His Koʻolau Ranch estate already includes two mansions, a gym, tennis court, guest houses, treehouses, an underground storm shelter, and various agricultural facilities. Planning documents show proposals for three more large buildings, featuring 16 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms between them. According to Zuckerberg’s spokesperson Brandi Hoffine Barr, these additions are intended for short-term guest housing for family, friends, and staff.
Hoffine Barr stated that most of the land is used for agriculture and conservation, including organic farming, cattle ranching, and endangered species protection. She added that previous plans to build 80 luxury homes were canceled after the Zuckerberg purchase.
Still, the expansion has drawn criticism. Local residents worry about access to ancestral burial grounds located on the estate. Julian Ako, a Native Hawaiian, told Wired in 2013 he informed Zuckerberg’s team about graves belonging to his great-grandmother and her brother. After months of negotiations, he was granted access and helped register the site with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
“If they uncover iwi — or bones — it’s going to be a challenge for that to ever become public knowledge,” Ako told Wired.
Zuckerberg’s land acquisitions are part of a much larger pattern of celebrity development in Hawaii. High-profile figures such as Oprah Winfrey have also faced criticism for large-scale land ownership and its potential impact on local communities. Opponents argue that such developments contribute to the displacement of Native Hawaiians, inflate real estate prices, and erode cultural heritage.
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