New Zealander Oriini Kaipara has been hailed in the media for making history, after becoming the first prime-time TV presenter with a traditional Maori tattoo. Videos of her presenting a news bulletin on Monday have gone viral.
Clips of Kaipara presenting a Newshub bulletin while sporting an unusual face tattoo have gone viral this week, drawing attention to the woman’s appearance from multiple media outlets around the world. The 37-year-old host made headlines for being the first mainstream news presenter with a low-chin tattoo, which symbolizes Maori’s cultural identity.
In an interview with the kiwi news outlet Stuff, the presenter of Newshub Live program described her career promotion as an important event for the indigenous people she identifies with.
“It’s breaking new ground for us as Māori, but also for people of color. Whether you’ve got a moko kauae or not,” Kaipara said.
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The news anchor’s road to fame started in 2017, when Kaipara took a DNA test and discovered that she was a 100% Maori.
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Two years later she decided to get a moko kauae tattoo, traditional for Maori women. To complete the process, she had to undertake certain ‘transformational’ rituals. She described the process in posts on her Instagram account, which now has 27,400 followers.
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