Integrated Environmental & Regulatory Solutions for Hawaiʻi’s Land & Water
Kern, Inaba & Associates is a Hawaiʻi-born environmental management and regulatory solutions firm specializing in water, wastewater, land use, and regulatory compliance.
Our Mission is Simple:
Protect Hawaiʻi’s water and communities by delivering modern, intelligently designed projects that respect the land, meet regulatory requirements and improve our communities.
To fulfill that mission, we operate as an integrated platform made up of three complementary divisions, each serving a distinct role within a unified system:
Advisory, Planning, Design & Regulatory Strategy
We guide projects from concept to approval through planning, engineering, permitting, environmental compliance, & agency coordination.
Turnkey Conversions for Homeowners & Small Commercial Properties
A simple, one-stop solution for replacing cesspools with modern wastewater systems – including design, permitting, coordination, installation & project management.
Operations, Monitoring & Compliance
Long-term technical stewardship: system monitoring, reporting, maintenance & regulatory compliance.
Together, these divisions form a complete end-to-end solution for Hawaiʻi’s land and water challenges.
From permitting & planning to execution & operations,
clients benefit from one accountable partner who brings
clarity, leadership & momentum to complex projects.
Advisory, Engineering, Planning, Design & Regulatory Strategy
Kern, Inaba & Associates is the strategic & technical core of our platform. We provide environmental management, engineering, and regulatory strategy, guiding projects from concept to approval and into long-term stewardship.
We combine environmental and wastewater engineering, land-use advisory, and regulatory coordination to give clients clarity and direction in Hawaiʻi’s most complex project environments. Our approach is holistic and practical: aligning feasibility, engineering, and regulatory requirements so decision-making becomes clear and progress becomes possible.
We are the single point of accountability — one partner leading regulatory coordination and engineering, instead of forcing clients to manage multiple consultants.
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What we do:
Our Role is Simple:
We bring clarity to complexity and create the conditions for progress. With decades of combined experience in government and private development, we understand Hawaiʻi’s regulatory systems — the policies, the people, and the process — and we use that knowledge to move projects forward with confidence.
Leadership
Experience that spans planning, engineering, permitting, and execution. Kern, Inaba & Associates is led by people who have spent their careers navigating Hawaiʻi’s land-use and water systems from both inside and outside government.
Zendo has spent 27 years at the intersection of land-use, development, and environmental management in Hawaiʻi. His leadership roles include serving as Hawaiʻi County Planning Director, County Councilmember, Chair of the Windward Planning Commission, and a member of the Hawaiʻi County Water Board. This combination of experience gives him a deep understanding of Hawaiʻi’s regulatory systems and how to navigate them in a way that respects both process and place.
On the private side, Zendo has been a licensed General Contractor for over 20 years. He has developed residential and commercial projects, built multiple companies, and advised landowners, businesses, and developers through Hawaiʻi’s permitting and regulatory processes. His strength lies in seeing the big picture- bringing people together, communicating clearly, and creating alignment so projects move forward with confidence.
Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Zendo is a surfer, enjoyer of nature, and lifelong learner who carries a deep sense of kuleana toward the land and community. His mission is to support good people doing good work, projects that serve Hawaiʻi, honor place, and protect the natural environment.
Kurt brings over 40 years of experience in civil engineering, water supply, wastewater, and infrastructure throughout Hawaiʻi. His career includes serving as Engineering Division Manager for the Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply, where he led capital improvement programs, infrastructure planning, and regulatory coordination across multiple agencies. In that role, he was responsible for decisions affecting drinking water infrastructure and oversaw projects valued in the tens of millions of dollars.
In the private sector, Kurt has provided engineering design, permitting, and infrastructure strategy for landowners, developers, and community projects. He is known for his calm, grounded leadership and his ability to simplify complex technical and regulatory challenges — ensuring clear communication, alignment, and forward momentum. Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Kurt is a lifelong waterman and fisherman who views environmental work through the lens of stewardship — respecting the land, protecting water, and ensuring projects serve both community and place.
Originally from Boston, Kim was drawn to Hawaiʻi Island's natural beauty, unique landscape and close-knit community, moving to the Big Island in 2008. With a diverse background spanning project management, land use and planning, small business leadership, and nonprofit sales, Kim brings a uniquely holistic perspective to every project.
Prior to joining Kern, Inaba & Associates, Kim worked as a sales coordinator for a nonprofit, where she supported health and safety programs, coordinating with donors and customers and helping to streamline internal processes to strengthen organizational impacts. She then went on to hone her leadership, operational and customer services skills in various business and project management positions in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Most recently, Kim owned and operated a land use consulting company where she worked with a variety of clients, from local farmers to small business owners to large-scale developers, to successfully navigate Hawaiʻi’s complex permitting channels and realize environmentally sound and sustainable land use goals.
As an avid swimmer, paddleboarder and cacao farmer, Kim is passionate about preserving Hawaiʻi’s natural beauty and resources. She brings her deep understanding of Hawaiʻi land-use regulations, strong attention to detail, and project management expertise to Kern, Inaba & Associates, supporting clients through complex permitting, wastewater and water system upgrades, and a broad range of environmental and land-use initiatives.
Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Susan brings decades of leadership experience across business, nonprofit, and government sectors, with deep expertise in housing, project funding, partner relations, property management, and community investment. She grew up in a family with deep roots in farming and agriculture, where she developed a strong work ethic and a lasting respect for the land and natural resources that support local families and communities.
Susan served twice as Housing Administrator for the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing and Community Development, working with public agencies, community organizations, and residents to address housing needs, secure funding, and support responsible policy and compliance. Through that work, she saw firsthand that housing is not only a matter of building homes, but of solving the infrastructure challenges that allow families and communities to thrive. Her experience brings an important housing and community-development perspective to wastewater work, where responsible systems can help unlock housing opportunities while protecting Hawaiʻi’s land and water resources.
Having spent much of her life camping, fishing, diving, and hiking around Hawaiʻi Island, Susan has a firsthand connection to the places and resources this work is meant to protect. She brings a grounded, community-centered approach to helping property owners meet critical wastewater needs while supporting healthier land, cleaner water, and stronger communities across Hawaiʻi.