Te reo advocate leads move to reclaim world haka record
Tuesday, 23 July 2024
The world haka attempt aims to draw 10,000 people to Eden Park on September 29, with registrations to take part opening on Tuesday.
The existing record was set by France in 2014 with 4028 people taking part.
The world record haka attempt will help raise funds for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre.
When Hinewehi Mohi sang the New Zealand national anthem in te reo at the opening game of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it was a turning point for the recognition of the Māori language.
Now 25 years later the singer, producer and te reo Māori advocate is bracing for another cultural moment: reclaiming the record for the world’s largest haka.
The existing record was set by France in 2014 with 4028 people taking part.
“When I first discovered that the French held the record for the largest haka, I kind of couldn’t believe it… how bizarre that was,” the 59-year-old said.
Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.
“This is where it’s from… it is very much a part of us, and undeniably ours.”
Mohi’s rendition of the national anthem in Twickenham Stadium, England was the first time it was sung in te reo Māori.
She received a backlash at the time, but said Aotearoa New Zealand has since come a long way towards accepting and celebrating Māori culture.
“It’s been an incredible resurgence and people all over the country are taking classes to learn the language,” Mohi said.
“No matter what their culture background or ethnicity or heritage is, they want to be able to be a part of the celebration of our cultural heritage through the language.”
Mohi said haka is a great way of accessing the language of te reo Māori.
“Even if we don’t fully understand it, we can learn about the stories told… and begin to get a better understanding of the language in that way,” she said.
“But also it helps us to be able to sing a long and be a part of the beauty of the language.”
The world record haka attempt will help raise funds for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre.
Mohi was inspired to start the centre in 2004 by her daughter Hineraukatauri who has cerebral palsy.
“She can’t speak, she can’t walk, but she absolutely always responded and connected to music, and it just made her feel wonderful,” she said.
“We’ve been so privileged to see how people have found that music therapy has really returned a sense of connection with others.
Mohi said music therapy can help people find a sense of connection with others.
“Whether a child is born with a condition or an elderly person starts to suffer memory loss, or a condition like Parkinson’s, or a young person might have autism, all these things create significant challenges in a person’s life,” she said.
“Music therapy is a way of helping to bridge communication and appreciation for how we can express ourselves, how we can connect with others.
“The sense of isolation that’s created starts to be dissolved in these experiences through music therapy.”
The world haka attempt aims to draw 10,000 people to Eden Park on September 29, with registrations to take part opening on Tuesday.
It will be officially adjudicated by Guinness World Records and participants will perform Ka Mate, the haka composed by Ngāti Toa rangatira Te Rauparaha while evading a rival Iwi. The haka has been popularised by the All Blacks.
“This is going to be something that really unites us and stands us together in pride for our cultural heritage and cultural identity,” Mohi said.
“We really need the nation to come together and this will be a moment in time, a moment in history that we’ll never forget.”