Surf break protection is experiencing a rapid rise in attention on an international scale. Researchers of coastal management issues and advocates for protection of the surfing environments are merging here in New Zealand too. The following is effectively an account of how this has led to the inclusion of a policy identifying surf breaks of national significance in the latest revision of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) – the only mandatory National Policy Statement under the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991.