Brody Munro

**Children** | 2

**Brody Daniel Munro** (born 14 October 1979) is a Hawaiian politician and former professional surfer who has served as a member of the House of Representatives for Oahu since 2014. He is a member of the Green-Progressive Party.

Born in Lihue, Kauai, Munro attended Island School, but began homeschooling at age 15 in order to pursue surfing professionally. He soon began competing in surfing competitions, going on to win the Hawaii Surf Championships for the first time in 1999, and winning the World Surf Championships in 2000. He was the number-one ranked male surfer in Hawaii in 2000 and 2001. Munro launched his own personal brand of swimwear and surf gear in 2004, before retiring from competing in 2014, in order to begin prioritizing politics.

Munro entered politics in 2014, when he was included on the party list in Oahu for the Green Party in the 2014 general election. He was ultimately elected to parliament, taking his seat on 14 July 2014. Upon taking his seat in parliament, Munro focused his legislating on environmental and civil rights issues. Following the formation of the Green-Progressive Party in 2021, he switched his party membership.

## Early life and education

Munro was born on 14 October 1979 in Lihue, on the island of Kauai, to parents Jeremy Munro (born 1955) and Lucy Clark (born 1960). Both of his parents are from California; his father came to Hawaii after receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1977, while his mother came as an international student at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in 1978, but soon dropped out and moved to Kauai to become a surfer. Both Jeremy and Lucy were professional surfers who also owned a surf shop in Lihue. They never married and ended their romantic relationship when Munro was two years old, although they remained platonic co-parents for all of his life. He is an only child.

Munro began his education in 1985, attending Island School, a coeducational, independent, K–12 school in Lihue. He was taught to surf at age four by his parents, and surfing eventually became his primary hobby by the time he was eight. Munro became interested in the idea of surfing professionally when he was 14, and the following year his parents allowed him to begin homeschooling in order to pursue a professional surfing career. He graduated with a high school diploma in 1997, aged 17.

## Surfing career

Munro began surfing in junior leagues in 1995, shortly after beginning his professional career. He placed third at the 1995 Kauai Junior Surf Championships, which led to a sponsorship deal. Munro later won the 1996 Hawaii Junior Surf Championship, in addition to winning junior championships in Tahiti and Spain.

Munro transitioned to adult competitions in 1997, aged 17. Despite starting off with weak performances, he later placed third at the 1998 Kauai Surf Championships, and second at the 1998 Maui Surf Championships. The following year, he won several championships in Hawaii, including the national title, in addition to international titles in Spain and California. The following year he won the World Surf Championship, becoming the youngest person to do so, aged only 20.

In 2004, Munro launched his personal brand *Brody*, which manufactured and sold swimwear and surf gear. Many of the designs that the brand sold were personally designed by Munro. In 2006, he inherited his mother's surf shop in Lihue, following her retirement, and turned the location into a store to sell products from the *Brody* company. He officially retired from surfing in 2014.

## Political career

### Parliamentary career

Munro began his political career in 2014, when he was selected to serve as a candidate for the Green Party on the Oahu party list in the 2014 general election. He had previously campaigned for the Green Party in the 2010 general election, and had been rumored to be considering pursuing a career in politics. Munro was ultimately elected to parliament, and took his seat in the House of Representatives on 14 July 2014.

Upon taking his seat in parliament, Munro began to focus on issues regarding environmentalism and civil rights. Munro has been theorized as a future potential party leader for the Green Party. Following the formation of the Green-Progressive Party in 2021, he switched his party membership.

## Personal life

Munro began a relationship with Hawaiian model and surfer Elise Takanawa in 2010. They became engaged in 2012, and later married in 2014. Munro and Takanawa have two daughters together: Gisele (born 2015) and Emerald (born 2018). The family owns homes in both Haleiwa on Oahu and Lihue on Kauai. Munro is a Christian.