Journalist makes history as first person with Māori face tattoo to present primetime news

Announcing the major development on Instagram, Kaipara shared a few snippets from her office at Discovery Network, which owns Newshub and Three.

 

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Kaipara explained that she got the tattoo in 2017 after a DNA test revealed she was 100 per cent Māori. The moko kauae represents a rite of passage, marking the passage between girl and adulthood and symbolises a personal process of transformation.

Ever since she become the first wahine with a moko kauae to present a mainstream news show when she filled in on TVNZ’s noon bulletin in 2019, she has garnered much positive attention online.

 

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She left TVNZ and landed at Three in May, to take up a permanent presenting role on Newshub Live at 4.30pm. “It’s really exciting. I’m really enjoying it,” Kaipara told Stuff after her Christmas and Boxing Day appearances. “I’m not speechless, but it’s a buzz. I am proud of how far I’ve come in being able to anchor 6pm right now,” she added hoping to find a permanent spot at the prime-time show.

“We’ve got a good team at Newshub, I don’t feel the pressure as much as I used to when I first started out in journalism. But that comes with doing the hard yards, and then actually realising it and doing it is really exciting.”

 

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The bilingual journalist and broadcaster, of Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi descent, uses Te Reo, a popular language spoken by Māori people often merging with English while hosting.

“I look forward to leading effective and positive change where Māori issues and interests are respectfully conveyed and relayed on our platforms – where our voices and stories are told fairly, accurately, and objectively,” Kaipara told NZ Herald after joining Discovery network in May. “I do not take this challenge lightly and trust that the mana of my people remains with me as I take on this new journey for all of us.”