Opinion: World record haka bid ours for the taking

The International Rugby Club are attempting to get a record amount of participants involved in performing the famous Ngati Toa Rangatira haka

It's not every day you get invited to take part in a world record attempt.

But those in Rotorua on June 17, hours before the Maori All Blacks take on the British and Irish Lions, will have the chance when the International Rugby Club attempt to get more than 6200 people performing the famous Ngati Toa Rangatira haka, Ka Mate, at the Village Green.

The city is buzzing. Everywhere I go, it's all people are talking about.

The attempt was officially announced at last Thursday's night market where around 40 Rotorua Boys' High School students performed a flash mob haka for the unsuspecting crowd.

It was a brisk night, but it wasn't the cold that was sending shivers down my spine.

The energy and passion of the boys was infectious and a sense of pride welled inside me, as it does whenever I watch the All Blacks perform the haka before every game.

I think it's fair to say we Kiwis are not the most patriotic bunch but when it comes to the haka, I am sure I'm not alone in thinking,"this is us, this is what it means to be a New Zealander".

Well, can you imagine my horror upon finding out the current (official) world record holder for the largest haka isn't some town or city in New Zealand, it's France!

If that doesn't set a fire in your belly, I don't know what will.

The official record stands at 4028 participants and was set at an event organised by car manufacturer Mazda in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, in 2014.

The number to beat, however, is 6200, which was how many people did a haka in Masterton last November - although their attempt is yet to be officially ratified.

This is our chance Rotorua. We're the Maori capital of the world, the title of the world's largest haka belongs to us.

It doesn't matter if you're young, old, a man or woman. It doesn't matter if you're white, brown, blue, black or orange. All that matters is that you make it down to the Village Green on June 17 and be a part of history.