HONOLULU — License plates featuring the shaka symbol were launched on Thursday as part of the Shaka License Plate Program.
Established by the nonprofit ID8, the program aims to “preserve aloha on Hawai‘i roadways by reducing road rage and infusing aloha into both locals and visitors alike,” according to a statement.
The shaka license plates will be available statewide at any Department of Motor Vehicle satellite office. Each plate has an initial fee of $30.50, with a subsequent annual renewal fee of $25 added to vehicle registration fees.
Of the renewal fee, $20 will go to ID8, which specializes in ideation and self-expression skills to create positive impacts in the community, according to Chair Steve Sue.
“This is about sharing the aloha spirit on the highways,” Sue said. “Keep the road rage down and the aloha up.”
Sue said this effort has been two years in the making, working with all five counties in the state.
Kim Hashiro, DMV customer service director, said the shaka license plate is the first organizational plate since the 2018 Hawai‘i Says No More plate, an effort created by a nonprofit aimed at ending domestic violence and sexual assault.
The shaka is not a decal that can be added to an existing plate; it is a special plate that a vehicle owner must register as a new plate. The letters and numbers on the plate are not customizable.
For the program to remain operational, the organization must attract a minimum of 150 people to purchase the plate and renew it each year for three years.
Sue mentioned that since 8 a.m. Thursday, the Honolulu DMV on Kapalama alone had 50 people acquire the plate.
“The shaka needs to be everywhere, every time, to keep the aloha spirit alive,” Sue said. “This is very much Hawai‘i’s culture.”
Sue also wrote and produced an education-based documentary — “Shaka, the Story of Aloha” — which has been scheduled for screening at the end of the year.
The film, Sue said, explores the origins, meanings and uses of the shaka gesture, looking into its connections to Hawai‘i. It also suggests that the shaka can be used by anyone to create a positive atmosphere, embodying the spirit of aloha.
State Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor), who introduced Senate Bill 3312 to adopt and designate the shaka as the official state gesture, got his own shaka license plate on Thursday.
The bill currently sits on Gov. Josh Green’s desk awaiting approval, and Wakai expects him to sign it into law within the next month.
“All of what’s going on this year is making it the year of the shaka,” Wakai said. “It’s important for Hawai‘i to claim what is uniquely ours. Oftentimes, we take for granted the beauty that comes out of Hawai‘i. Here’s an opportunity for us to tell the world this is Hawai‘i-made and Hawai‘i-owned.”
