English children, old French men, and even New Zealanders have had a crack at claiming the mass haka world record, with the results as varied as you’d expect. In the lead-up to another Aotearoa attempt, Liam Rātana assesses the efforts.
Reckon Aotearoa is the home of haka? Think again. France has held the Guinness World Record for the largest mass haka – 4,028 people – for the last decade. Before being claimed by Wīwī in 2014, the record was rightfully held by Aotearoa, with a 3,264-person haka taking place in Ngāruawāhia in 2008. Despite Aotearoa making numerous attempts to seize the record back since 2014, the French still hold it.
Now there’s a new push for Aotearoa to reclaim the missing jewel in the “home of haka” crown, while also raising funds for a good cause. The attempt will take place on September 29 at Eden Park, with hopes of 10,000 people joining in. It doubles as a fundraiser for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre, which held the official campaign launch last week, supported by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
To mark the occasion, we dug deep into the internet archives to review and rank each attempt (that we could find) at claiming the record since 2008. Here they are, ranked from worst to best.
7) Rugby World Cup fans make a ‘good attempt’
Date: October 10, 2015
Location: Campbell Park, Milton Keynes, England
Participants: 750
It seems the English were determined to claim the record for the largest haka performed in 2015, with two unsuccessful attempts made the same year they hosted the Rugby World Cup. After a failed attempt earlier in the year (see number four), a second unsuccessful effort was held at the Rugby World Cup fan zone at Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, just to the northwest of London. “Was fun good attempt”, was the caption a member of the 36-strong Milton Keynes World record Haka October 10th Attempt 2015 Facebook group used for the video they shared.
Despite having the advantage of training videos uploaded to YouTube months before and actual Māori leading the kaupapa, it seems bad weather ended up putting off many of the would-be participants. In the end, fewer than 1,000 people performed the altered version of Toia Mai, falling well short of the official record.
6) Australia attempts to claim another NZ thing
Date: February 4, 2017
Location: Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia
Participants: Approximately 2,000
As if Australia hadn’t already claimed enough New Zealand icons as their own, an attempt was made to claim the haka world in 2017. The event was part of Waitangi Day commemorations organised by the Māori Wardens Australia group (who knew?). Māori Wardens NSW chief Rawiri Iti said the group was optimistic the people of Blacktown could break the record and was aiming for 6,000 people. As it turned out, only 2,000 people – half of the required number – performed the famed Ngāti Toa Rangatira haka Ka Mate.
5) Nelson fails to claim the title from Ngāruawāhia
Date: September 11, 2010
Location: Tahunanui Beach, Nelson
Participants: Estimated 2,500
Nelson City Council, the Rugby World Cup 2011 Nelson steering group and iwi from across the top of Te Wai Pounamu coordinated the record-breaking attempt as a way to build hype around the region and the country. In the lead-up to the day, drop-in training sessions were held and YouTube links shared with all those intending to partake so they could learn Ka Mate.
A sizeable crowd gathered at Tahunanui Beach to mark the one-year countdown to the start of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Aotearoa. It was quite a dramatic scene – there was a moment of silence to honour the victims of the September 11 attacks a decade prior, helicopters flew overhead for aerial shots, waves crashed in the background. Unfortunately, despite looking something like a cross between a Netflix production and an Adidas ad, the turnout wasn’t enough to get the record home. But at least the All Blacks did go on to win that world cup.
4) Durham celebrates the All Blacks coming to town
Date: March 26, 2015
Location: Darlington Mowden Park, Durham, England
Participants: 4,000+
The first attempt to take the record from the French came just a year after they claimed it, with more than 4,000 students from 50 different schools in the Durham area of England gathering at Darlington Mowden Park. It doubled as a way to celebrate the announcement that the All Blacks would be using the stadium during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, with the group packing out the stadium field and performing an altered, shortened version of the East Coast haka Ruaumoko. Despite the valiant effort, adjudicators ruled the numbers taking part fully in the haka were not enough to beat the French record. Fortunately, the All Blacks also won this world cup.
3) Rotorua attempts to cement the ‘home of haka’ claim
Date: June 17, 2017
Location: Rotorua
Participants: Approximately 7,800
If Aotearoa is the home of haka, then Rotorua – synonymous with kapa haka and the performing arts – must be the pou in that whare. In an attempt to solidify the city’s status as the kapa haka capital of Aotearoa, a large crowd performed Ka Mate as part of Rotorua’s celebrations for a test match between the Māori All Blacks and British and Irish Lions being held there on the same day. Despite almost doubling the number achieved by the French in their record-setting effort, the attempt was not ratified by the Guinness officials, resulting in another failed bid to bring the record back to Aotearoa.
2) Masterton caught out by rules
Date: November 2, 2016
Location: Masterton War Memorial Stadium
Participants: 5,000-7,000
The first attempt from Aotearoa to claim the record back from the French naturally took place in Masterton, with Wairarapa school kids gathering at Trust House Memorial Park for to perform Ko Wairarapa, a haka written specifically for the region by South Wairarapa district councillor Paora Ammunson in the late 1980s. Despite the kids practising for a year and unofficially having at least 1,000 more participants than the record haka, the attempt was not successful in dethroning the French. Props for the practice and performing a haka written specifically for their region.
1) The French claim the record
Date: September 27, 2014
Location: Stade Amédée Domenech, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
Participants: 4,028
As much as it pains me to put this attempt as number one, it is the current record holder. Just over 4,000 people performed Ka Mate at an event organised by Mazda France and French rugby club Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin at a game between Brive and Bordeaux Bègles.
Within what appears to be no longer than 10 minutes, a group of eager French rush to the field and are taught the haka, originally composed by Te Rauparaha. Leading the crowd is an unknown quintet of fair-skinned, presumably French, men dressed in black and white rugby uniforms with poorly drawn mock mataora on their faces. The group seems to have one practice run before their official attempt begins. During the attempt, it’s hard to hear anyone saying the words, except for one of the men at the front with a microphone. The actions are performed as well as you might expect a group of French people who have spent five minutes learning a haka to perform them.
Despite being one of the poorest haka I’ve ever seen performed, the official clip ends with a Guinness World Records official adjudicator confirming the record had been broken, with the crowd then celebrating.
Those wishing to take part in Aotearoa’s bid to reclaim the record will need to purchase a ticket (early-bird prices are $15, full-price tickets will be $35). The haka will be Ka Mate, led by Ngāti Toa Rangatira. Hinewehi Mohi of Raukatauri, who’s organising the attempt, said she was speaking to the organisers of the two failed New Zealand attempts to learn from their mistakes and ensure this one satisfies the stringent criteria set by Guinness World Records.
