Journalist Made History By Creating Maori Facial Tattoo

Oriini Kaipara, 37, read the Newshub Live 6pm news bulletin on Monday. She has a moko kauae, an ethnic lower chin tattoo accessorised by Mori women. Kaipara, who is standing in for the usual hosts on Newshub Live's evening broadcast, made history when she became the first Moko kauae woman to deliver primetime news on television. As per sources, she is also stepping in on the late-night news.

Kaipara uploaded a few glimpses from her workplace at Discovery Network, which owns Newshub and Three, on Instagram to announce the momentous development. She claimed that she received the tattoo after a DNA test confirmed that she was 100% Mori. The moko kauae may be a rite of passage that marks the transition from childhood to maturity and reflects a private development.

She has received a lot of favourable attention on the internet after she became the first wahine with a moko kauae to deliver a mainstream news show while she stepped in on TVNZ's midday report in 2019. In May, she departed TVNZ for Three, where she now works as a permanent presenter on Newshub Live at 4.30pm.

Meanwhile, the bilingual journalist and broadcaster, who is of Thoe, Ngti Awa, Twharetoa, and Ngti Rangitihi heritage, hosts in Te Reo, a popular Maori language that frequently merges with English.