Talking Rugby and the Haka With Maori Cultural Expert Inia Maxwell

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"I don't want to nitpick, but the current All Blacks are doing the haka too fast," says Inia Maxwell, who would know. For at least 20 years Maxwell has been one of the pre-eminent Maori cultural experts – doing everything from teaching Matt Damon to touring the world with the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. It's not a long shot to say that, behind many amazing hakas, you'll find Inia's knowledge, understanding and passionate influence. Currently, he is in Brazil, "breaking down barriers with our culture."

"The intensity, though, for the current boys is there," he adds, to soften the blow. "You can see it's coming from the heart. Passion, intensity of delivery and understanding of the significance of what they are doing is more important to me than the fact they probably perform it a bit too fast."

Maxwell has been working on and off with the New Zealand rugby side for 16 years. He was first enlisted during the 1999 World Cup in Wales, by then captain Taine Randell, to "have a word with the boys about what the haka means." Back then, Maxwell was working with Adidas to put together an advert celebrating the history of the All Blacks. The only problem was, the current side weren't up to snuff. "Shucks," Maxwell says, shrugging, "they didn't know they weren't performing it well. They thought they were doing a fine job. But they lacked passion. I took great delight telling them the Ka Mate story."

The haka – what Maxwell calls "the gateway to Maori culture" – is as synonymous with New Zealand rugby as winning practically every single match they play. "The Ka Mate is one of two All Blacks hakas, and probably the most famous," says Maxwell. "It's a haka from the Ngāti Toa, which is a tribe back in New Zealand. It tells the story of a chief who was being pursued by a couple of other warriors and, in this particular moment, he's hiding in a little pit, being hidden by a lady. This lady is neutralising all the incantations and spells the other warriors are using to flush him out. And he's hiding, sort of singing to himself.

"Ka Mate, Ka Mate, the bit performed before rugby, is actually the last third of the entire haka," he adds. "It means: Will I die, will I die? Or Will I live, will I live? It then goes on to describe this person with the hairy… nether-regions…" He pauses, considers. "Look," he says, "if you check out the action, it's pretty obvious what they mean with that line. It ends with: will they help me see the light of day again? Step up… I have seen the light of day again."

He told all this to the 1999 side and fly-half Andrew Merhtens raised a hand to ask what it all had to do with rugby. "Absolutely nothing," says Maxwell. "But I do not understand why you'd do something when you don't know its meaning. A lot of Kiwi players only appreciate Maori culture when they leave New Zealand."

Next, he asked them to perform their haka to him. "There's a clip online of Kees Meuws explaining what happened next," he says. "I told him, 'That was pretty shit wasn't it?' And he looked at me as if to say, 'who's this little prick?' So I just ripped my shirt off and just launched into this haka."

You can see Maxwell perform the haka here. The ferocity of action, the simplicity of expression and meaning, is moving. There's a reason why it's listed on YouTube as 'incredible haka'. The thing that is most notable, however, are his eyes, quivering this way and that in intensity. "It's a beautiful thing to perform it," he adds, "and then use that as a gateway to everything else we do. It's not just pulling ugly faces and pushing out or tongues for no reason."

Born in Rotorua in 1975 to a "distinguished" Whanau family, Maxwell performed his first haka at the ridiculously tender age of four. He completed a course in drama and performing arts at Hastings' Eastern Institute of Technology before getting a job on Xena Warrior Princess. All this, before landing a job at Saatchi & Saatchi as a creative, specialising in Maori culture, and working on the set of Invictus as a haka specialist.

A man whose talents, combined with his intellectual fervour and charming demeanour, elevated him to a position of international cultural ambassador, Maxwell is a living mascot for Maori culture.

"After I had finished my haka back in 1999," says Maxwell. "I made sure I spent 15 seconds just looking at them, holding my pose. I wanted to make sure they understood not only the haka, but the history it represents."

"It's more a lifestyle, than anything," he explains "When I perform the haka, it's who I am. It makes me proud of where I come from, of what I represent. I also feel a great responsibility to not let down any of my ancestors. Doing a bad haka, for me, is a no-no. And now it's a no-no for the All Blacks, too. Richie McCaw says, 'The game doesn't start when the whistle is blown, the game starts when we do the haka.' He's picked that up. That to me is them understanding the importance of the haka."

The haka, however, is only the beginning. As a teacher of Maori culture, Maxwell has seen people be moved again and again to understand the deeper history. "There's a primal connection with people who see the haka for the first time," he says, "they don't quite understand it, but they do want to be a part of it." There's something amazing about performing your first haka that is, according to Maxwell, "incredibly hard to describe". Earlier this month, while in Rio with the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, Maxwell performed a haka beneath Christ the Redeemer and was responded to by none other than two French fans, who boomed back their national anthem. This was the day before the All Blacks steamrolled the French 62-13. Words were exchanged, which Maxwell calls "just some jibbing and beef."

There's a festival quality to the haka, something that seemingly cannot go performed without retaliation. "History shows that teams can be a bit ignorant or cheeky to it," Maxwell adds, more gravely. "I remember when Australia continued to perform their warm ups while we did our haka to them. That was the wrong thing to do… It just made our boys more determined and we gave them a bloody good hiding." Other great examples of teams reacting to the haka are France in 2011, when they lined up in arrow formation, and simply advanced, or when Wales stared them down for a few minutes.

The interesting question, though, is how an ancient Maori tradition got attached to rugby in the first place. The history of the All Blacks and the haka are varied and occasionally conflicting. Maxwell puts it down to the New Zealand Maori Native team, who went on a "phenomenal tour" of the world in 1888-9, where they completed 107 matches. "Before they played England, they performed a haka," adds Maxwell. "So England's response was to sing the national anthem."

But why New Zealand get to perform both a national anthem and a haka is still vague. Is it simply about scaring the opposition? "No," says Maxwell. It's about "pursuit and survival", which makes it a perfect accompaniment to rugby, despite having no real historical connection to the sport. "For rugby players, when they're running with the ball, if they get the try, then they survive," says Maxwell. "It's that simple."

Most recently, Maxwell has been front and centre of Beats by Dr. Dre's campaign for the All Blacks, where he wrote and performed a brand new haka. "This haka is about remembering where you're from and who you are. We're telling people where we're from when we do our haka. The second part of the haka is how we approach any challenge. We carry everything we have with us. We go to win."

Featuring prominently in the ad are a bunch of teenagers from the Rotorua Boys' High School who, since working with Maxwell, went on to become National Haka Champions. "They were expected to become the bridesmaid yet again," Maxwell adds with a smile, "but they won it. Maybe not coincidence."

Sighing, Maxwell reflects on his relationship with the haka once more before our time together ends. "It defines everything I am," he says, "everything about my family. That is who is standing with me when I perform the haka. All my ancestors. It's who I am."

Born in Rotorua in 1975 to a "distinguished" Whanau family, Maxwell performed his first haka at the ridiculously tender age of four. He completed a course in drama and performing arts at Hastings' Eastern Institute of Technology before getting a job on Xena Warrior Princess. All this, before landing a job at Saatchi & Saatchi as a creative, specialising in Maori culture, and working on the set of Invictus as a haka specialist.

A man whose talents, combined with his intellectual fervour and charming demeanour, elevated him to a position of international cultural ambassador, Maxwell is a living mascot for Maori culture.

"After I had finished my haka back in 1999," says Maxwell. "I made sure I spent 15 seconds just looking at them, holding my pose. I wanted to make sure they understood not only the haka, but the history it represents."

"It's more a lifestyle, than anything," he explains "When I perform the haka, it's who I am. It makes me proud of where I come from, of what I represent. I also feel a great responsibility to not let down any of my ancestors. Doing a bad haka, for me, is a no-no. And now it's a no-no for the All Blacks, too. Richie McCaw says, 'The game doesn't start when the whistle is blown, the game starts when we do the haka.' He's picked that up. That to me is them understanding the importance of the haka."

The haka, however, is only the beginning. As a teacher of Maori culture, Maxwell has seen people be moved again and again to understand the deeper history. "There's a primal connection with people who see the haka for the first time," he says, "they don't quite understand it, but they do want to be a part of it." There's something amazing about performing your first haka that is, according to Maxwell, "incredibly hard to describe". Earlier this month, while in Rio with the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, Maxwell performed a haka beneath Christ the Redeemer and was responded to by none other than two French fans, who boomed back their national anthem. This was the day before the All Blacks steamrolled the French 62-13. Words were exchanged, which Maxwell calls "just some jibbing and beef."

There's a festival quality to the haka, something that seemingly cannot go performed without retaliation. "History shows that teams can be a bit ignorant or cheeky to it," Maxwell adds, more gravely. "I remember when Australia continued to perform their warm ups while we did our haka to them. That was the wrong thing to do… It just made our boys more determined and we gave them a bloody good hiding." Other great examples of teams reacting to the haka are France in 2011, when they lined up in arrow formation, and simply advanced, or when Wales stared them down for a few minutes.

The interesting question, though, is how an ancient Maori tradition got attached to rugby in the first place. The history of the All Blacks and the haka are varied and occasionally conflicting. Maxwell puts it down to the New Zealand Maori Native team, who went on a "phenomenal tour" of the world in 1888-9, where they completed 107 matches. "Before they played England, they performed a haka," adds Maxwell. "So England's response was to sing the national anthem."

_But why New Zealand get to perform both a national anthem _and_ a haka is still vague. Is it simply about scaring the opposition? "No," says Maxwell. It's about "pursuit and survival", which makes it a perfect accompaniment to rugby, despite having no real historical connection to the sport. "For rugby players, when they're running with the ball, if they get the try, then they survive," says Maxwell. "It's that simple."_

Most recently, Maxwell has been front and centre of Beats by Dr. Dre's campaign for the All Blacks, where he wrote and performed a brand new haka. "This haka is about remembering where you're from and who you are. We're telling people where we're from when we do our haka. The second part of the haka is how we approach any challenge. We carry everything we have with us. We go to win."

Featuring prominently in the ad are a bunch of teenagers from the Rotorua Boys' High School who, since working with Maxwell, went on to become National Haka Champions. "They were expected to become the bridesmaid yet again," Maxwell adds with a smile, "but they won it. Maybe not coincidence."

Sighing, Maxwell reflects on his relationship with the haka once more before our time together ends. "It defines everything I am," he says, "everything about my family. That is who is standing with me when I perform the haka. All my ancestors. It's who I am."