Miss World New Zealand Deborah Lambie says she is proud of her haka, a traditional war cry performance, during the Miss World 2015 competition in China despite receiving negative reviews on social media. The 24-year-old New Zealander was placed 15th among the 117 contestants at the competition.

“Learning this haka has made me appreciate so much more what it means to be a New Zealander. Our culture and our heritage is beautiful and it's been a privilege to learn more about myself and where I come from,” Lambie said, posting the video on Facebook.

Lambie was attacked online for being “incredibly uncomfortable to watch” after she posted the link of her dance on her Facebook page. New Zealanders immediately critisised her delivery of the haka and advised her to sack her “management or advisor because you haven't been taught properly.”

Haka is a traditional form of dance made famous by their country's national rugby team, the All Blacks. A warcry done by the Maori people of New Zealand, the dance is typically performed in a group, with robust movements and stamping of the feet. It also involves a lot of shouting as the dance is performed by warriors before a battle.

Though Lambie seems to have put a lot of effort in her performance, people from her country did not look impressed. “Really.........months of training, and that's what you came up with?????? You must be a really slow learner!” wrote one Facebook user Brian Vincent on her page.

"That was a whole lot of screaming, sloppy and that's why the haka is left for the males," wrote Pania Hetaraka, another person on Facebook. Other people called it as an “embarrassment to nation,” adding that she was too petite for the performance.

However, Lambie said she is proud of her performance and art, which she learned from her teachers Kereama Te Ua and Erina Morehu. "We have been working on the authentic performance together for months and I feel privileged to have learnt this piece from an expert and was proud to perform this to the best of my ability," she told the New Zealand Herald.

Mireia Lalaguna Rozo of Spain was crowned the 2015 winner at the end of this year's Miss World contest on Saturday. The contest was held in Hainan island, China.

Source: YouTube.com/BBC

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