New Zealand journalist becomes first person with Māori face tattoo to anchor primetime news

A New Zealand journalist has become the first person with a traditional face tattoo to present a primetime news broadcast. Oriini Kaipara has a sacred lower chin tattoo - moko kauae - traditionally worn by Māori women. The photos of the newsreader have gone viral and have gathered positive responses from social media users. The moko kauae symbolises a personal process of transformation and marks the passage between girl and adulthood. The 37-year-old newsreader explained that she got the ethnic tattoo in 2017 after a DNA test results revealed that she was 100 percent Māori. She is the first Māori woman with a moko kauae to anchor a primetime news show on television. The newsreader of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent, often merges English with the Te Reo language spoken by Maori people, while presenting the news. The 37-year-old filled in for usual hosts Sam Hayes and Mike McRoberts to present the Newshub Live 6 pm news bulletin on 27 December. Right now, she is filling in for the Newshub’s late-night news also, as per reports. Kaipara shared the memorable moment of her life on her Instagram page. She also shared some snippets from her office.

Kaipara first made headlines in 2019 when she presented TVNZ’s afternoon broadcast. She left TVNZ and joined Three (part of Discovery Network) in May this year. She is presently the permanent newsreader on Newshub Live at 4.30 pm, according to Indian Express. Kaipara told media outlet Stuff, after her Christmas and Boxing Day broadcasts, that she was really enjoying her work. “I’m not speechless, but it’s a buzz. I am proud of how far I’ve come in being able to anchor 6 pm right now,” she added. She also hopes to find a permanent position at the prime-time show soon. Kaipara told NZ Herald that she hopes her position would help in Maori interests and issues being respectfully conveyed on the media platform. She also mentioned her hopes to report stories about her community objectively and accurately.