THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	159
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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

 

     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,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, 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

 

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

 

     (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;

 

     (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;

 

     (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;

 

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

 

     (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

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent 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