Giant haka to be performed on Domain this Saturday

A mass group haka will take place on the Tongariro North Domain this Saturday 8 October at 5.30pm following the annual Te Hikuwai v Te Mataapuna (North v South) rugby match which is part of the inaugural Tuwharetoa Māori Sports and Expo. All are invited to participate and try to make this New Zealand’s largest group Haka ever!

The giant haka is a collaborative effort of the players from the New Zealand Junior Rugby Tournament, which takes place at Owen Delany Park this weekend, and the inaugural Tuwharetoa Māori Sports and Expo. The event will see around 2,000 rugby players and members of Māori Kapa Haka groups take to the Domain to perform the mighty haka Ka Mate this Saturday.

The New Zealand record for the largest group haka currently sits at 3,264 participants and was achieved at an event organised by Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust at Hopuhopu sports complex in Ngaruawahia on 16 February 2008.

Deputy Mayor, and Chairman of the RWC 2011 Host Coordination Committee, Mike Downard says the combined groups will be the biggest ever seen in Taupō. “We will have around 2000 rugby players and Tuwharetoa Māori all pumped and ready to show the world what Taupō can do. It will be an exciting afternoon and a great lead in to the first of the Quarter-final Fanzones at the Great Lake Centre with ‘kick-off’ at 6.00pm.”

Cr Downard says if the event is successful it will become an annual fixture. “All going well, we will try to beat the world record next year and apply for the haka to become an official Guinness World Record.”

The first attempt at beating the record in Taupō was made last year in September when the New Zealand Junior Rugby Tournament was first held at Owen Delany Park. Organiser Tyrone Campbell of Global Games says it was a sight to behold. “It looked really impressive seeing all those young rugby players from all over New Zealand performing the haka together. Unfortunately, we were a bit shy of meeting the record. The collaborative effort with the Junior Rugby Tournament and the Tuwharetoa Expo will hopefully one day turn the tables.”

District Events Manager, Nick Reader, urges anyone interested to come along and be a part of this. “More is always better, so if you know the Ka Mate haka and are keen to be a part of something very special, please join us on the Domain at 5.15pm to receive instructions, before the big attempt at 5.30pm.”