Rousing haka for Palmerston North Boys' High School teacher who loses cancer battle

Palmerston North Boys' High School pupils paid their respects to teacher Jimmy Crosswell with a mass haka at his funeral. Photo / YouTube

Hundreds of boys at a Manawatu high school have performed a rousing haka to farewell a much-loved teacher who died just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Footage by Video/YouOriginal shows a sea of Palmerston North Boys' High School pupils, led by the school's prefects, as they pay their respects to English and social studies teacher Jimmy Crosswell with a spine-tingling mass haka at his funeral this week.

Fairfax reported thousands of mourners gathered at the school to say goodbye to the 30-year-old who was remembered for living life to the full and making a difference in countless lives.

Boys' High rector David Bovey told those gathered the talented teacher, who was also a keen representative sportsman, had a wonderful way of giving boys stick and praise at the same time.

The father-of-three also had a special empathy for students who were struggling and excelled as the boarding hostel's master.

Crosswell's world was thrown into chaos at the start of March when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy but died on April 28.