you are here:
Haka Sparks Royal Welcome
3 October 2006
B Coy 2/1 RNZIR had a brush with royalty – and national stardom – during their deployment to Malaysia on Exercise Taiaha Tombak 06.
In late August, B Coy attended the Malaysian National Day Parade, which was held in a large sports stadium in the town of Kanga. Celebrating 49 years since Malaysia became independent from Britain, the spectacular three-hour parade involves “just about every single social group in the province – from boy scouts to judo clubs to women’s knitting groups”, says WO1 Graham Sweetman, 2/1 RNZIR S1.
This year, the parade was followed by a surprise for the Sultan of Perlis: the 2/1 RNZIR battalion haka. The company performed the haka in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 people, and to an audience of hundreds of thousands on national television.
The Sultan of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin, was so impressed by their performance that he granted the company “Visitor of the State” status. Later, the company were told that the Queen called her son that evening to comment on the impressive performance of the Kiwi personnel.
Being a visitor of the state bestows several privileges, as the company soon discovered. A few nights later the Sultan visited the camp, where he was welcomed with a powhiri and another rendition of the haka.
“The welcome went very well – the company again put on a great haka – and then the officers and SNCOs moved up to the officers’ mess, where we were entertained by the sultan and had dinner”, said WO1 Sweetman. The night included the Sultan presenting the company 2IC, Captain Paul King, with a birthday cake.
The following night the entire 103-strong company were hosted by the minister of state at a state dinner. “It was an eight-course Chinese feast with silver service, at the finest hotel the state has to offer, as directed by the Sultan. The boys had a great time; they were all eyes as they walked in, then the service could not have been better.”
A full report on Ex Taiaha Tombak will be in the next Army News.
This page was last reviewed on 10 October 2006 and is current.
