A TV presenter with a traditional Māori face tattoo has calmly replied to negative comments from a viewer, proudly standing up for her cultural heritage and identity.
Facial tattoos often spark debates online. Some people think tattoos should only be on the body, while others understand and appreciate their cultural importance.
Oriini Kaipara, 41, made history when she became a newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub. She is the first primetime TV news presenter to wear a moko kauae, a special facial tattoo for Māori women.
The Māori are the indigenous people of mainland New Zealand. They see moko kauae as important symbols of their heritage and identity. These tattoos, traditionally on the lips and chin, show a woman’s family ties, leadership, and honor her lineage, status, and abilities.
Oriini Kaipara. Credit: Oriini Kaipara / Instagram.
Despite receiving praise, one viewer named David expressed his dislike for Kaipara’s moko kauae in an email to Newshub.
He wrote, “We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori newsreader with a moku [moko] which is offensive and aggressive looking. A bad look. She also bursts into the Māori language which we do not understand. Stop it now,” according to the Daily Mail.
But Kaipara didn’t let David’s negative words stop her. She bravely shared screenshots of his messages on her Instagram story and responded calmly.
“Today I had enough. I responded. I never do that. I broke my own code and hit the send button,” she wrote on her Instagram story alongside a screenshot of David’s message.
Kaipara didn’t just share screenshots of David’s email, she also responded to him. She explained that his complaint wasn’t valid because she hadn’t broken any rules for TV.
She also corrected David’s spelling mistake. He called her tattoo a “moku” instead of “moko”.
In her email back to him, Kaipara said, “I think you don’t like how I look on TV. But tattoos and people with them aren’t scary or bad. We don’t deserve to be treated badly because of them.”
She asked him to stop complaining and to try to understand better. She even joked that maybe he should go back to the 1800s if he couldn’t accept people with tattoos.
Despite David’s negative words, Kaipara says she mostly gets nice comments, and mean ones are rare.
In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Kaipara talked about how it’s important to have more Māori people in important jobs. She said, “The fact that my existence makes some people upset shows why we need more Māori people in every job.”
Kaipara’s calm response reminds us how important it is to be proud of who you are, even when people are mean. She’s inspiring others to be proud of themselves and stand up to unfair treatment.
What do you think of this story? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Peach Cobbler
I have this recipe for Peach Cobbler from a wonderful Southern lady that I know. She has all the qualities you could imagine of a Southern belle: a big heart, an even greater laugh, an unquenchable love of life, and delectable food.
You’ll love how this recipe maximizes the peach flavor by making the syrup with genuine peach juices!
Cobbler with Peaches
A traditional American dish that satisfies all comfort food cravings is fruit cobbler. very in the Deep South, peach cobbler is very significant to many people.
Peach cobblers come in two primary varieties: one with a batter topping and another with a topping akin to an Aussie scone or American biscuit.
For my part, I like the second option more. It has a crumbly outside and a fluffy center, and the whole thing smells deliciously like cinnamon. The soft, luscious peaches underneath, floating in a not-too-sweet peach syrup, are the ideal complement to the topping!
What You Need to Make the Filling for Peach Cobblers
Let’s start by discussing the peach filling’s ingredients (hint: huge, luscious, ripe PEACHES are involved!):
They also work well if you want to use canned peaches (because sometimes you simply can’t wait for summer!). To adapt the recipe for canned peaches, simply refer to the recipe notes.
Components of the Topping for Peach Cobbler
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the peach cobbler’s top layer:
Recipe for Peach Cobbler
Using the peach juices to make the dish’s syrup is one unique feature of this peach cobbler. Although there are faster and easier recipes that omit this step, I promise the flavor is worth it!
It’s time to begin making the topping once the peaches are placed in the oven!
Place and Assemble
This Peach Cobbler’s topping is prepared similarly to that of Australian scones or American biscuits. This is because, at its core, it is the same thing!
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