Retiring Republican State Senator Fred Hemmins' Senate bill 2646, which would have created largely honorary “surf preserves” onO'ahu's North Shore and in Waikīkī, was temporarily wiped out to “recommitment” to a future year in the final hours of the Housesession, states . Hemmings drove the bill so that that Hawai'i's sport could be lauded for its cultural and historic significance. It would not have cost taxpayers or granted exclusivity to anygroup or constituency.Surfing preserves exist in Australia and are being considered in New Zealand.
–Stayton Bonner