Māmaki Law Update: What Happened and What Comes Next

On July 1, the new māmaki labeling law (HB496) officially went into effect (ACT 242). Although the bill was signed into law, Governor Green has publicly acknowledged its flaws and has committed to working with legislators to amend the language moving forward.

In the governor’s own words:

“While the intent of this measure is to ensure consumer protection and reliable Made in Hawai‘i labeling, the bill imposes overly strict labeling requirements that could harm small businesses and māmaki producers who responsibly blend leaves from multiple sources. Prohibiting the labeling of products composed of less than 100% māmaki tea as ‘māmaki’ ignores the economic contributions of and impacts to producers who mix or process māmaki with other herbs, undermining producers who support local māmaki farmers while meeting broader demand.”

This is exactly what we have advocated for since day one: protections for Hawai‘i-grown māmaki that don’t crush the very farmers and small businesses who built this industry from the ground up.

We support clear labeling. We support transparency. And as Native Hawaiians, we support protecting our cultural plants and practices. What we asked for is better language in the law to prevent exploitation without accidentally banning the majority of the market and industry.

What Happens Now?

According to public statements made by Governor Green and other state officials, it is legal to sell māmaki blends as long as the māmaki itself is 100% Hawai‘i-grown. Has it been officially changed in the bill's language to give us full legal protections? No. But all departments and parties say they are committed to ensuring that the māmaki is from Hawai'i and that's it.

For our farmers, we advise you to continue labeling our blends responsibly and we will remain in close contact with regulators to ensure full compliance. We expect to see their promise to clarify and amend the language in the next session upheld and will be following very closely.

For any stores and shops selling māmaki products, being that the governor has stated that you will not face fines for carrying māmaki blends as long as the māmaki is from the state, we advise you to check in with your companies to ensure it's all grown here. Māmaki is not and has never been grown anywhere else on this planet because of its need for a specific growing environment and there are no māmaki farms outside the state. Even so, it may ease your worries about penalties.

We have requested that Governor Green invite and allow māmaki farms and businesses to weigh in on decisions and conversations moving forward. We have also asked Rep. Kahaloa to hold a farmer-focused event or talk story for farmers in her district. We still support our leaders, but we also need them to fully support us. We hope they will open lines of communication and trust, especially if they truly do care about their farmers and small business owners.

To Our Community

Over the past few weeks, many māmaki farmers have received strong support and, sadly, some strong backlash. Many have been accused of trying to undermine Native Hawaiian values, or misrepresent themselves. For clarification, we are an industry made up of farmers, healers, business owners, and cultural practitioners. For us personally, our knowledge of māmaki and lāʻau lapaʻau was passed down by our kūpuna. This amazing plant is not a marketing gimmick to us. It is medicine, legacy, and both an honor and kuleana for us to continue.

We are not fighting against protection. We are fighting for the right protection, one that uplifts our farmers, our culture, and our future. I have compiled a list of all known articles about the bill here:

5/20/25 Bill To Guard Against Imitation Hawaiian Tea Could End Up Hurting Industry

6/10/25 How the Mamaki Tea Industry Shut Down A Bill Regulating Its Products

6/13/25 Mamaki Labeling Bill To Be Vetoed Following Outcry From Hawai'i Farmers

6/22/25 Hawai'i Senator Didn't Disclose Possible Conflict of Interest Before Voting

6/24/25 Governor Green Amends Intent-To-Veto List

7/1/25 Green Tells Hawai'i Tea Farmers Not To Worry About New Labeling Law

7/1/25 Mamaki Tea Industry Goes Under New Regulation

7/1/25 New Mamaki Tea Labeling Law Enacted

Before attacking the small farmers who spoke up, I encourage everyone to read about how other government officials as well as the Governor himself agrees with the criticism. All can be found in the links above.

We’d like to extend our deepest mahalo to the many state attorneys, officials, legislators, and allies who have supported māmaki farmers through this time. Special thanks to Brian Goo for his continued overlapping efforts to ensure our voices are heard and protected as well as Matt and Andrea Drayer who have helped to speak up through the perspective of a farmer. Lastly, we wanted to say a special mahalo to you for sharing the information and keeping the conversation going in big and small spaces.

This isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning. We are hopeful that this experience will lead to more honest, open collaboration between lawmakers and the people they serve.