Kekoa means "Warrior" in Hawaiian
The name Mick is a reference to O'Loughlin's character in the TV series Moonlight, Mick St. John, who was also a PI.
The scene where Shane Kawano faces off Steve McGarrett in the pool, and Steve shoots him is an obvious reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) in which Indiana Jones shoots the swordsman he's facing off.