Reo to shine before All Black clash
Haka seen before today’s rugby test matches are a far cry from the under-rehearsed efforts back in the 1980s
The unmistakable sound of the haka will boom around North Harbour Stadium in the moments before the All Blacks take on the Springboks on Saturday night.
And before the Boks line up to faceoff against the haka, the All Blacks and their fans — in the ground and watching in homes, pubs and sports clubs — will proudly belt out the national anthem; in English and Ma¯ori.
The haka and the dual-language anthem now follow the team wherever they play around the world.
But what will be witnessed at Albany’s North Harbour Stadium is a world away from what sports fans saw in the mid-80s.
The All Blacks did the haka only before overseas matches (that changed to include tests at home during the 1987 Rugby World Cup); and anyone who has seen footage from the 20th century will have realised some of the players weren’t exactly haka experts.
That started changing in 1985, when legendary No 8 Wayne “Buck” Shelford and hooker Hika Reid were called on to improve the ABs’ haka skills.
In resources compiled by the Ma¯ori Language Commission to celebrate Ma¯ori Language Week, Shelford has opened up on what went on behind the scenes to ensure the All Blacks took the haka as seriously as playing the game.
“No way I was going to teach them if they didn’t want to practise and
HRead the rest of our Te Wiki o Te Reo Ma¯ori series at nzherald.co.nz didn’t do it properly,” Shelford has revealed. “Hika grew up on haka and I found it in my teens. In the military I’d learned from my haka tutors not to teach guys if they weren’t going to do it properly and weren’t going to train. It was all about making sure we didn’t embarrass ourselves in front of the world and in front of our own Ma¯ori people.” Fast-forward 32 years and the All Blacks now have two haka; the tra- ditional Ka Mate haka (composed by Te Rauparaha) and Kapo O Pango (written especially for the team and which debuted in 2005).
Shelford is also now a proud Ma¯ori speaker, learning via night classes before going on to do a year’s immersion at Te Wa¯nanga o Raukawa.
He urged Kiwis wanting to give Ma¯ori a go to give it their best. “Many can do kapahaka but not speak. You can see now the All Blacks . . . really enjoying it — and with kapahaka comes the language . . . if you can learn a haka you can learn the reo.”
Chart-topping singer Hinewehi Mohi has a similar message for Kiwis wanting to sing the anthem in both Ma¯ori and English.
Mohi made global headlines in 1999 when she broke into the national anthem in Ma¯ori before the All Blacks’ 1999 Rugby World Cup clash against England at Twickenham.
While everyone was surprised at the version Mohi delivered, opinion was clearly divided. But now the dual language anthem has been formally adopted by New Zealand.
“It seemed natural to do it in Ma¯ori as this was the best I could do as an ambassador for our country,” Mohi said. “I got a fair bit of flak for it and it was quite upsetting because naively I did not realise that there were so many people opposed to the inclusion of the language.
“Why it caused such a furore baffles me to this day, especially as the haka is performed straight after.
“I am really glad for the outcome because at least it created some discussion and thought and consideration of the inclusion of the Ma¯ori version. There is now a widespread acceptance — and higher volume — of te reo Ma¯ori version.”
Mohi said the Ma¯ori language helped define us as New Zealanders.
“Everywhere I go and everywhere I perform it is on behalf of my tu¯puna and those who are fiercely proud of the culture and language we have.”
Her advice for anthem singers — both professional and amateurs?
“Put your hand on your heart and . . . breathe the strength and vitality of our nation. Sing your heart out.” For more on Buck Shelford and Hinewehi Mohi’s stories and other Ma¯ori Language Week resources go to