URGING THE ADOPTION OF SHARED GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE RESTORATION OF WAIKIKI BEACHES.

SR150

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

150

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

URGING THE ADOPTION OF shared GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE
RESTORATION OF WAIKIKI BEACHES
.

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WHEREAS, Waikiki
beaches are global visitor destinations that accounted for over thirty-six
percent of the State's total visitor expenditures in 2025; and

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WHEREAS, in
2024, Waikiki directly generated just under five percent, and indirectly
generated almost seven percent, of the State's tax revenue, excluding tax
revenue collected by the City and County of Honolulu; and

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WHEREAS, tens
of thousands of local residents work at jobs in and connected to Waikiki's
visitor industry, which constitutes a significant portion of all non-military
jobs held by state residents; and

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WHEREAS, Waikiki
was established as the original capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha
I in 1795, and is home to a rich Hawaiian cultural heritage recognized by
cultural practitioners, scholars, and descendants; and

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WHEREAS, with
a shoreline shaped by years of coastal engineering and urban development,
Waikiki in its current form has become an irreplaceable driver of contemporary
Hawaii's economy and culture and is indispensable to kamaaina as a locus of
housing, jobs, recreation, ocean access, and outdoor green space in the State's
densely populated urban core; and

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WHEREAS, the original
beaches of Waikiki were lost sometime prior to 1920 due to a combination of
sand mining, coral dredging, and the construction of seawalls and groins that
interrupted the natural movement of sand along the coast; and

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WHEREAS, Waikiki
beaches require ongoing replenishment, maintenance, and coordinated management
to sustain beach width, shoreline access, and recreational use and have been
restored approximately eleven times since 1939 using both imported and offshore
sand; and

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WHEREAS, the
loss of beach access reduces opportunities for the public enjoyment of coastal
resources that are held in trust for the people of the State; and

WHEREAS, the loss of Waikiki
as an economic engine would be catastrophic to Hawaii
'
s financial future and could severely impact the jobs of
tens of thousands of kamaaina; and

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WHEREAS, the
public benefits of increased public access to ocean natural resources and open
spaces, and the private benefits to commercial interests that are located
within and dependent upon Waikiki, are inextricably linked; and

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WHEREAS, decades
of coordinated efforts by the State, the City and County of Honolulu, and
private interests have struggled to produce a sustainable and equitable
long-term strategy for preserving Waikiki beaches, infrastructure, and commerce;
now, therefore,

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BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the following shared guiding principles shall be
applied to the planning, financing, and undertaking of efforts to restore,
maintain, and improve the beaches, shoreline, and coastal areas of Waikiki
spanning from the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor to Kaimana Beach; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the shared guiding principles should incorporate the following
strategies:

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(1)
�
Prioritization of public access to and
enjoyment of the ocean, beach, and shoreline consistent with the State's
policies relating to environmental protection and the protection of traditional
and customary practices;

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(2)
�
Implementation of state policy to conserve and
protect natural resources and promote their development and utilization in a
manner consistent with their conservation and the self-sufficiency of the State;

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(3)
�
Adherence to principles of regional planning
that account for the interconnectedness of land despite ownership boundaries
and for the natural tidal and littoral movement of water and sand across the
area and its surrounding environment;

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(4)
�
Planning and implementation of beach
improvements led by the State, with cost-sharing among state, county, federal,
and private property owners; and

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(5)
�
Confirmation of the responsibility of property
owners to maintain seawalls and other infrastructure above the shoreline and located
on the owner's property; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Governor; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Acting Chair
of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Mayor of the City and County of
Honolulu; and Chair of the Honolulu City Council.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

DBEDT;
DLNR; City and County of Honolulu; Waikiki Beach; Restoration; Guiding
Principles