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https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/8374537/Warriors-want-own-club-haka
Warriors co-owner Sir Owen Glenn wants his team to perform a haka before each National Rugby League match.
The multimillionaire philanthropist believes the Auckland club needs to express New Zealand culture.
Sir Owen is creating a haka for the upcoming season that starts this week.
"We are New Zealanders and we're going to bring back a haka for the team and a chant, and we're working on that now with Donna Grant and her husband, Anaru," Sir Owen said.
"This [the Warriors] is a Kiwi brand, let's be proud of it. If we don't win the game, which we will, then let's win the war chant."
Grant, the daughter of late entertainer Sir Howard Morrison, last May became the first woman to be appointed to the Warriors board.
She is executive director of Rotorua's Manaakitanga Aotearoa Charitable Trust, head of performing arts at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, and serves on boards including the Glenn Family Foundation, Te Matatini National Kapa Haka and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority Nga Kaituhono Advisory Board.
Sir Owen wants the Warriors to perform the pre-match haka in the same way as the All Blacks. "It is very likely, that's one thing I'd like to have my say on. We are Kiwis, let's be proud of that."
Possible issues surrounding a Warriors haka include the fact not all team members are New Zealanders, and whether it is right for a privately owned club to do the haka.
The merit of Sir Owen's plan was questioned by All Blacks great Wayne "Buck" Shelford, who was credited with putting pride back into the All Blacks' haka in the 1980s.
The sight of the Warriors performing the challenge before every NRL match "would be pretty wearying . . . it's not a national side, it's only a club side," he said. "To have it domestically in a
looks like we had the exact same responseBeat me to it.
In short.... HELL NO.
I have to say, I'm not TOTALLY against it. But perhaps only for significant home games. I have no issue with Aussies doing it. We had Nathan Fien and Brent Webb doing it for the Kiwis. I think that Owen has the right idea in trying to link the country to the team. They have used the name for many years now and its about time they tried to connect with the other 50% of the country. It is something that will die a pretty quick death, and I don't really care if it does, but the concept is OK.
For those that keep pulling out the "shouldn't be called the New Zealand warriors because it is not a national team", the same issue should be seen with the Breakers. I have no problem with a team wearing the "New Zealand" name, but they should be prepared to take the brand to the entire country.
I can't see a new Haka being as impressive as our traditional one, either. But I don't believe a franchise should be doing "Kamate".
There was an American Football team a few years back who had linked themselves with the Warriors, called themselves the Warriors and used our logo (or something similar). They chose to do a Haka before every match, even though the competition they played in had problems with it. They took a 7 point penalty at the start of every game they began with a Haka.