Rotorua hosts famous haka Ka Mate this weekend

Media Release

15 June 2017

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Giant Haka 101

15 June 2017

Rotorua is set to be the scene of the latest attempt at the world’s largest haka this weekend.

At midday Saturday 17 June locals and visitors alike are invited to come together at Rotorua’s Village Green by the lakefront and perform the famous haka Ka Mate in an attempt to bring the record home to New Zealand.

The official record is currently held by the French at 4100 people, but to beat the most recent attempt, an epic giant haka performed by thousands of school children in Masterton last year, we will have to get more than 6200 people to the green on the day.

The goal is to smash the record and get 10,000 people there.

There is also another chance to get your hands on tickets to Saturday’s big game between the Maori All Blacks and The British & Irish Lions. Destination Rotorua has four more tickets which will be given out by the MC Paul Hickey to two ‘stand-out’ fans at the Giant Haka on Saturday morning between 10.30 and midday.

There will also be trip to OGO Rotorua up for grabs for the most ‘stand-out’ group so get all everyone together ready to wow the judge on the day.

What you need to know

Getting there

Entry to the haka arena at the Village Green officially opens at 10.30am with entertainment and haka practise before the formal attempt at midday. Participants are encouraged to get there early so there is plenty of time to get everyone in place.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is hooking everyone up with free rides on the City Ride service all day Saturday so leave the car at home, jump on a bus and forget about parking.

Click here to see the full City Ride bus timetable

Fun and entertainment

While everyone is gearing up for the formal attempt there will be face painting, banner and flag making in the Fan Fair area so you can show your support for your favourite team.

Join in the games and competitions at the activation area and get your hands on some awesome prizes and giveaways thanks to Boost Events and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

The Bay of Plenty Steamers will be at the Village Green from 10.30 – 11am for a public meet and greet.

Food and beverage trucks will be available and Eat Streat is close by. Bring the whole whānau with a picnic and make a day of it.

Counting the participants

Last week the Village Green was painted with a grid of 100 squares which will act as markers to help count the number of participants. There is enough space to get 10,000 plus people doing the haka.

Check out Altitude Photography’s 360 photo of the Giant Haka grid here

As participants arrive they will be handed a ticket with a barcode which will be scanned. The MC on the day, Paul Hickey from The Hits radio station, will be keeping everyone updated as the numbers grow.

Two hundred volunteers from Rotorua schools will be stationed around the arena to help count the participants and to make sure everyone knows the moves and performs the haka correctly.

Performing the haka

Not sure about the moves? Feeling a little shy? Don’t worry – there will be thousands of others who feel the same way.

Click on the image below to watch the step by step video tutorial on how to do Ka Mate.

And it’s not just for guys – click here to see Rotorua Girls High School show us how it’s done.

Leading the haka on the main stage will be kaitātaki (leaders) Wētini Mitai-Ngatai and Eraia Keil together with students from Rotorua Boys High School and Rotorua Girls High School. The students will also be out and about in the crowd helping other participants.

The words to Ka Mate will also be shown on the large screen.

During the official attempt, volunteers will be scanning the crowd to make sure everyone is performing the haka correctly – this is an important aspect of making sure we break the record.

The official record attempt will start shortly after midday.

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