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18 Oct 2024 17:35
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  •   Home > News > Maori

    NZ reclaims Guinness World Record for most people performing the haka

    The record was previously held by France, who broke it in 2014 with more than 4,000 attempting the haka after a rugby match.


    Aotearoa, New Zealand has reclaimed the world record for the largest haka participation with more than 6,000 people performing the Maori ceremonial dance and taking the title from France.

    On Sunday, the record was smashed at Eden Park stadium in Auckland, where thousands of people gathered on the rugby pitch to participate in the haka.

    There were a few famous faces within the crowd to help reclaim the world record, including actor and director Taika Waititi, NZ band Six60 and US TV host Conan O'Brien.

    A Guinness World Record adjudicator confirmed 6,531 participants had performed the Ka Mate haka, a rendition made famous by the All Blacks rugby team, who used to perform it to the opposing team before a test match.

    The All Blacks team now perform Kapa O Pango, which they first used in 2005 during a test match against South Africa.

    Kapa O Pango was written for the team by Sir Derek Lardelli, who is from the iwi (tribe) Ngati Porou and is an expert in Tikanga Maori (Maori expert and customs).

    Why is the haka so important to New Zealanders?

    Although Auckland organisers had hoped for up to 10,000 participants, they were still pleased the record had been reclaimed by New Zealand, where the haka is regarded as a national treasure.

    Director of the attempt in Auckland, Mike Mizrahi, told ABC News he didn't think it was okay for France to have held the record in the first place.

    "The Haka is a taonga of Aotearoa, while it is uniquely Maori, it is something that all New Zealanders, know, and respect

    "We all rush out to watch the All Blacks perform it before a game. It's taught in school, it's part of us."

    He said allowing the French to even attempt to break the record felt wrong to him.

    "I think that Guinness need to be more respectful of culture and weary of cultural appropriation going forward," Mr Mizrahi said.

    Previous attempts involving crowds of more than 5,000 on New Zealand soil failed because Guinness World Records officials did not ratify them, Mr Mizrahi said.

    Why did France have the World Record in the first place?

    The world record had been held by France since September 2014, when 4,028 people slapped their thighs and bellowed the chant following a rugby match in Brive-la-Gaillarde, south-western France.

    French woman Diane Clayton, who moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand 20 years ago told Te Ao Maori News, that she was confused as to why the record was held in France in the first place.

    "For me, it was like if someone said the record for the biggest number of people singing La Marseillaise was in New York, I'd be like, what the heck?"

    She said people need to understand that haka is telling the story of your land and your people.

    "I think people focus too much on the physical aspect of it because it looks like a war dance and it's very expressive, but it's so meaningful," she told Te Ao Maori News.

    "There is a real danger that people completely skip that part, which is essential."

    A YouTube video shared of France's attempt in 2014 appears to show that some of the participants attempted to draw Ta Moko (tattoos) on their faces, which is culturally inappropriate as Ta Moko are traditional markings for Maori people that tell the stories of their lives.

    This time around, an adjudicator was flown to Auckland.

    The Ka Mate haka was composed around 1820 by the warrior chief Te Rauparaha to celebrate his escape from a rival tribe's pursuing war party.

    Under New Zealand law, a Maori tribe, the Ngati Toa, based in Porirua just outside Wellington, are recognised as the cultural guardians of the Ka Mate haka.

    © 2024 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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