Agencies collaborate on new campaign for Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust to reclaim official Guinness World Record for largest Haka
Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust has launched its campaign to reclaim the official Guinness World Record title for the largest Haka on Sunday 29 September 2024 at Eden Park, New Zealand’s National Stadium.
The organisers are calling for 10,000 participants to buy a ticket for charity and reclaim the official world record that was set by 4,028 people in France in 2014.
Says Dame Hinewehi Mohi DNZM (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāi Tūhoe), and co-founder of the charity, Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre: “HAKA is far more than just an event. It is a powerful statement of our cultural heritage and a unique symbol of Aotearoa.”
To help bring the record back to where it belongs, New Zealand’s leading agencies and creatives have joined forces to promote and stage the occasion, each donating its time and skills.
The spectacle set for 29th September 202 at Eden Park, will be produced by Mike Mizrahi, creative director, Inside Out Productions, whose international resume includes the 2011 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony and a Louis Vuitton trunk holding 2000 people.
Says Mizrahi: “I have staged many epic events all over the world, this one will be unmissable.”
The event will kick off with live performances from local music icons and is a fully inclusive family event.
Central to the campaign is the HAKA identity which has been designed by Tyrone Ohia (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāi Te Rangi), creative director and founder of design studio Extended Whānau.
Says Ohia: “Haka is a chance for us to come together as a nation to celebrate our culture, our identity and our connection to each other” said Tyrone “The power of the HKA is known globally, and it is time for us to show the world how proud we are of this taonga.”
Says Deborah Pead, founder, Pead: “As the publicity partner, Pead has been a proud supporter of Raukatauri Music Therapy for more than 20 years and it’s wonderful to see this idea come to life with the generous support of Aotearoa’s top agencies and creatives working together. The Kaupapa that this team has created is a proud nation building moment and it feels right for the industry to follow the call to action and stand together to bring this record home.”
Says Leon Kirkbeck, founder of Augusto Group said Corner Store has a deep appreciation for Haka: “Having been close partners with New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks for many years, we have proudly celebrated the mana it represents for Aotearoa and its people all over the world. And as a flagship showcase for our new event brand, Ballyhoo, we recognised this opportunity to reclaim a special part of Maoridom and New Zealand culture and we knew we’d do what we needed to. We are delighted to be supporting this Kaupapa.”
This new attempt to reclaim the official record will be officially adjudicated by Guinness World Records, with 10,000 tickets available to perform our best-known haka Ka Mate, composed by Te Rauparaha, chief of Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
The nation-building occasion is part of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, co-founded by Dame Hinewehi and named after her daughter Hineraukatauri.
The funds raised will enable the Trust to continue delivering life-changing music therapy to the most vulnerable among us.
To register as one of the 10,000 enthusiastic participants at Eden Park and to stand as a nation in this historic occasion please visit: www.hakarecord.co.nz.
For more information on Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust and to learn how to donate, please visit www.rmtc.org.nz.
Cultural Ambassador: Dame Hinewehi Mohi
Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust: Deborah Pead and George Bradfield
Pead: Sarah Munnik and Lauren Went, Publicity and Communications
Inside Out Productions: Mike Mizrahi and Marie Adams, Creative Production
Cornerstore: Lara Marshall and Rachel Wilson, Content and Social Media
Ballyhoo: Emma Henderson, Content and Event management.
Augusto: Leon Kirkbeck
Extended Whānau: Tyrone Ohia, Brand Identify and Design