The Maui News to be sold to Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative
Trending
The Maui News soon will welcome new ownership, as the Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative has reached an agreement to purchase the publication and Maui Publishing Co. from The Ogden Newspapers Inc.
Maui Nui Media and Creativity Collaborative is led by Maui residents Axel Beers, Alika Seki, Anuhea Yagi and Lance Collins, and also includes the newspaper's general manager, Jenni DeFouw. The ownership change is expected to take effect July 31.
Following the sale, The Maui News will transition to a nonprofit news organization. Beers said the move will allow the newspaper to focus exclusively on its public-service mission, emphasizing in-depth reporting and coverage of issues important to Maui residents while fostering greater civic engagement throughout the community.
Nonprofit news organizations typically rely on a combination of donations, foundation grants, memberships and other forms of community support to fund their operations.
"Our board is composed of all Maui residents with deep ties to this community, and I think the opportunity to bring this newspaper and its press into local ownership is really historic," Beers said. "We have the opportunity to continue the legacy of newspapers on Maui and our printing history. The heart of it is really developing our local capacity to tell stories, being able to cultivate our workforce, being able to reinvest the profits back into our community, and just building out the pipeline for our creative industry."
Yagi said Maui Nui Media is committed to keeping the newspaper’s printing press operating on Maui, as a way to honor and celebrate the island’s rich printing history. Hawaii’s nūpepa (newspaper) legacy began in the 1830s, under the rule of Mōʻī Kauikeaouli (King Kamehameha III). At the time, Hawaii’s capital was centered at Mokuʻula, Lahaina; and the nation’s first ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi newspaper was printed at Lahainaluna on Feb. 14, 1834. This publication, Ka Lama Hawaii, was the first of what would become more than 100 unique mastheads and an unmatched volume of indigenous language content. Meanwhile, under Mōʻī Kauikeaouli’s decree, Hawaii’s literacy skyrocketed to well over 90%, which vastly outpaced world literacy rates of the era.
"The Maui News is a major part of the history of printed media and literacy in Hawaii, and as one of the last remaining printing presses in the islands and the only one on Maui it will be crucial to future generations," Seki said. "This is why it was so important to us to ensure that The Maui News and its printing press became a locally owned asset for the community."
"I’ve advocated for community ownership of the press for over two decades," Collins said. "This sale will ensure that The Maui News archives, documenting the last 126 years of Maui's history, are preserved and accessible to our community."
Beers recalled conversations over the past few years with friends on the streets of Wailuku about the possibility of community ownership of The Maui News and its printing press -- discussions that ultimately became the first steps toward the sale.
He noted that the idea can be traced back to simple conversations with Collins, Seki and Yagi, who lamented that if The Maui News were to close, the island would lose its last printing press. What began as little more than a dream spoken aloud -- the hope of keeping the press on the island -- gradually grew into a movement of like-minded people who believed the community should control its own news and preserve a vital piece of its infrastructure.
Beers then saw a story in The Maui News that The Ogden Newspapers sought to close its Wailuku office, after which he reached out to general manager Jenni DeFouw expressing curiosity in the fate of the printing press. That led to a call from Robert Nutting, CEO of The Ogden Newspapers, to begin discussions on the sale. Soon after, as the idea moved closer to reality, Beers, Collins, Seki and Yagi launched the nonprofit.
"We were able to talk through this and put a lot of things in motion, and that led to doors opening and we've just been moving forward, always with the best interests of the community at heart," Beers said.
He added that the board is working diligently to ensure a smooth transition with no gaps in service. "We are pleased to keep the paper's editorial team and as a board we do not intend to interfere with their decisions -- but as locals we will be ready and responsive to support them operationally," Beers said.
DeFouw said she is excited to help transition the newspaper to a new model. She and editor Eli Pace will remain with The Maui News following the sale and are planning new community coverage models for the newspaper.
“At its heart, local news is about connection. For 126 years, The Maui News has informed, connected, and served the people of Maui, and while much has changed over that time, our mission has not," DeFouw said. "We believe local journalism should be a mirror for this vibrant community -- reflecting its unique culture, telling its stories, examining the issues that matter most, and giving voice to the people who call Maui home. An informed community is an empowered community, and we are deeply honored to carry this legacy forward, ensuring Maui’s people, culture, and stories remain at the heart of everything we do for generations to come.”
The Maui News has been owned and operated by The Ogden Newspapers since December 1999. Nutting said the company has sought to be a good steward of the newspaper for the past 26 years, serving the island’s readers, advertisers and the broader community.
Nutting said he expects that tradition to continue under Maui Nui Media's leadership.
"We have spent the past few years working to identify the right team to steward this operation into the future, and we believe we've found that with Axel Beers, Lance Collins, Alika Seki, and Anu Yagi," Nutting said. "Axel and his team at Maui Nui Media have a vision for the newspaper's future, and we will support them throughout this transition period. Returning The Maui News to local ownership is a key to the newspaper's long-term health."
Nutting said his family was proud to continue the work of the Cameron family, which owned and operated The Maui News for nearly a century before its sale to Ogden. He also singled out former publisher Joe Bradley, who retired in 2020, for providing principled leadership and helping guide the newspaper through numerous issues important to Maui and its residents.
"The Cameron family built an exceptional newspaper in Maui, and we were honored to have a role in keeping that tradition alive," Nutting said. "That was made possible through the efforts of leaders such as Joe Bradley and others at The Maui News that understood the importance of community -- and also the island's uniqueness not only for residents, but for all who visited there."