Thousands gather in New Zealand to set haka world record

SYDNEY: Thousands gathered at a sports stadium in New Zealand’s biggest city on Sunday to set a new world record for the most people to perform a haka, a traditional Maori dance.

The mass gathering at Auckland’s Eden Park was a bid to break a record of 4,028 haka participants at an event in France in 2014, the Guinness World Records website said.

“Everyone here tonight, while the official number is still being counted because it’s a large number, I can safely say that you have surpassed the record to beat and you are officially amazing,” Guinness records adjudicator Brian Sobel told the crowd.

Event organisers had hoped at least 10,000 participants would attend, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The haka, a customary performance by the indigenous Maori, figures at funerals, weddings and other major events. It has also been associated with New Zealand rugby since 1888.