Facial tattoos often ignite debates online, with some individuals asserting that tattoos should be confined to the body, while others embrace the cultural significance behind them.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, a trailblazing TV presenter, made history when she joined New Zealand’s Newshub as a newsreader, becoming the first primetime TV news bulletin presenter with a moko kauae, a revered cultural marking worn by Māori women.
Māori, the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand, regard moko kauae as profound symbols of heritage and identity. These facial tattoos, traditionally received on the lips and chins, symbolize a woman’s familial connections, leadership within her community, and honor her lineage, status, and capabilities. Māori, the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand, regard moko kauae as profound symbols of heritage and identity. These facial tattoos, traditionally received on the lips and chins, symbolize a woman’s familial connections, leadership within her community, and honor her lineage, status, and capabilities.
However, amidst the accolades, one viewer, known as David, voiced his discontent with Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub
“We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking,” he wrote, per the Daily Mail. “A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now.”Undeterred by David’s disparaging remarks, Kaipara bravely addressed the issue head-on, sharing screenshots of the messages on her Instagram story and responding with grace and dignity.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on an Instagram story accompanied by a screenshot of David’s message.
