A Kiwi newscaster made history by becoming the first person to anchor a TV news bulletin with a facial tattoo.
Oriini Kaipara, 37, who has a moko kauae, a traditional double chin tattoo worn by Māori women, read Newshub Live’s news bulletin at 6 p.m. Monday.
The mother of four from Auckland said the moment fulfilled a lifelong dream and hoped she was the first in a long line of Maori women to read the news with traditional tattoos.
‘It’s really exciting. I really enjoy it. I’m not speechless, but it’s a buzz. I’m proud of how far I’ve come to drop anchor at 6pm now,” she told Stuff.
Oriini Kaipara, 37, who has a moko kauae, a traditional double chin tattoo worn by Māori women, read Newshub Live’s news bulletin at 6 p.m. Monday
The mother of four from Auckland said the moment fulfilled a lifelong dream and hoped she was the first in a long line of Maori women to read the news with traditional tattoos
Kaipara made headlines in 2019 when she became the first person with facial tattoos to present mainstream news while completing TVNZ’s afternoon broadcast.
She regularly creates packages for the main bulletin and is becoming a fan favorite for her Maori markings.
“It is definitely a step forward and a step up. If there was a purpose for me, it would anchor prime time news, and it did,” she said.
“We have a good team at Newshub, I don’t feel the pressure as much as when I first started in journalism. But that’s part of doing the hard work, and then it’s really exciting to realize and do it.’
Oriini Kaipara hosts this week’s 6:00 PM bulletin on Newshub Live
Kaipara is bilingual and of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent, something she proudly displays while working as a prominent journalist.
‘I am very much aware that I am the first’ [with moko kauae] to anchor a six o’clock primetime news bulletin.” she said.
‘It’s always in the back of my mind, that every step I take is like breaking through a glass ceiling.
“It is groundbreaking for us as Māori, but also for people of color. Whether you have a moko kauae or not.’
Kaipara is bilingual and of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent, something she proudly displays while working as a prominent journalist
Oriini Kaipara, 37, has a moko kauae, a traditional double chin tattoo worn by Māori women
In 2017, a DNA test revealed that Kaipara was 100 percent Moari.
Māori tattoo on the face and body, known as Tā moko, represents the family heritage and social status of the wearer.
For Māori women, the moko was a rite of passage, marking the transition between girlhood and adulthood and symbolizing a personal transformation process.
Social media photos from January 2019 show her surrounded by family as a tattoo artist enrolls her moko kauae.
