Cooperation is a good thing — all the more so when peace breaks out between two groups that really shouldn't be at odds in the first place.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced last week its plan to assist the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands with the development of lots for Hawaiian homesteaders. OHA has allotted $90 million from its trust fund.

The pledge of a new revenue stream comes at a critical point for DHHL, which is nearing the end of the payouts from a settlement with the state, money that has helped it invest in the infrastructure to create new home lots.

Even more significantly, the commitment from OHA should be read by DHHL beneficiaries — those whose Hawaiian ancestry amounts to a blood quantum of 50 percent or greater — as a thaw in frequently frosty relations.

Homesteaders were among those who complained about a proposed deal that OHA had struck with the state over lands formerly owned by the Hawaiian kingdom. The negotiations should have included input from the homesteader class, they said.

Also, a group of five homesteaders has sued in federal court to force OHA to spend more of its money on the "50 percenters."

Judge Susan Oki Mollway has issued her inclination to side with OHA in that case. Considering the strain such a decision may cause, it's even more fortunate that an olive branch has been extended between the agencies.

They are representing the same general interests, after all, and should not be working at cross purposes. This show of aloha is a welcome one.