370 students, teachers join in giant hug

COLIN SMITH/The Nelson Mail

MASSIVE CUDDLE: Nelson Intermediate School pupils and staff join principal Hugh Gully, centre left, as he hugs Grant McNeill of 30 Random Acts of Kindness during the biggest group hug in the country.

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It was warm and slightly squishy, but what else would you expect from a giant hug involving more than 350 people?

As part of Nelson man Grant McNeill's campaign to carry out 30 random acts of kindness in 30 days, he organised New Zealand's biggest group hug yesterday.

About 370 students from Nelson Intermediate linked arms, and on the count of three moved in for a giant embrace.

Mr McNeill, who along with principal Hugh Gully braved the centre of the hug, said he chose a mass hug as it was one of the nicest ways for people to show kindness to each other.

"Hugs personify random acts of kindness.

"It's like a smile, a hug and a smile is one of the best things you can possibly do."

While the world record for a hug involved about 10,000 people, yesterday's hug was a first for New Zealand as Mr McNeill could not find any record of a giant hug taking place here.

"It's what we do in Nelson," he laughed. "We don't break records, we set them."

The students showed little hesitation in getting close to their classmates, with Duncan Henderson saying it was a good experience.

"It was fun, I was all squished up and everything."

His friend, Izayah Welsh, had a different take. "It was warm."

Today Mr McNeill was to cook breakfast for Nelson police coming off the night shift, before allowing people at the Nelson market to call anyone, anywhere in the world on a cellphone, free of charge.

- © Fairfax NZ News