Oriini Kaipara, a New Zealand news anchor, has made history by becoming the first person to have a traditional facial tattoo to present a prime-time news show.
As photos of the journalist went viral — it captured the hearts of many online as they highlighted the importance of representation — and they wanted to learn more about the woman whose career as a broadcast journalist spanned nearly two decades.
Oriini Kaipara Tattoo Meaning
So Oriini Kaipara has an ethnic tattoo on her lower chin that is worn by Māori women, called a ‘moko kauae’.
Oriini got the tattoo in January 2019 after a DNA test in 2017 revealed she was 100% Māori. On January 6, 2019, she uploaded photos of the tattoo process to her Instagram @oriinz (with 23.2k followers as of December 30, 2021), writing: “Taonga Tuku Iho 💛 E tuku tonu nei” In English, which means Living Heritage 💛 Ongoing”.
Thus, the moko kauae tattoo symbolizes a woman’s whanau, as well as power, responsibility, status, and commitment to tradition, culture, and heritage.
DNA of Oriini Kaipara
Kaipara explained that Oriini got the tattoo in 2017 after a DNA test showed she was 100% Māori.
The bilingual journalist was taking a test for a story about indigenous Māori issues when she discovered that although she had European ancestry, her parents had passed on only non-Pakeha genes. She now identifies as Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi.
Does Oriini Kaipara have a husband?
In June 2017, Oriini Kaipara became a single mother.
However, in a December 2019 interview, when sharing her tattoo experience, Oriini mentioned her husband when she said, “there was a big uproar about her getting a tattoo as a pakeha woman, and her Maori husband gave her permission to do so.”
Who is the father of baby Oriini Kaipara?
Yes. Her two younger children are fathered by her ex-husband: Nikau and Ngarongokahira. She also shares two other children, Paetawhiti and Te Aomihia, with her ex-husband, who is still her boyfriend. And it seems that Orinni is the one who is primarily responsible for raising all of her children.
Oriini had just turned 16 and dropped out of school to study law when she discovered she was pregnant with her son Paetawhiti, who will be 20 (in 2021). “I was in denial,” she recalls. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t bother to get tested because I thought I was too young to be pregnant. I was five months pregnant before I actually found out. It was a shock.”
However, Paetawhiti was born just a month later, making matters worse, with underdeveloped lungs. The following year, the teenage mother became pregnant again with daughter Te Aomihia, now 19, with the same ex-boyfriend.
Who are Oriini Kaipara’s parents?
Oriini Kaipara’s mother played a key role in Oriini’s upbringing. When her second child, Te Aomihia, was six months old, she sat Oriini down and said, “Look, I don’t want you to stay home and be a statistic. I’ll look after the babies, but you need to get your life in order.” And that’s how Oriini managed to get a National Diploma in Film and Television Production, Documentary Production, Presentation at the South Seas Film and Television School in 2002.
Between then and 2004, she and her ex-husband had two more children, son Nikau, 15, and daughter Ngarongokahira, 8.
Now, Oriini said she has the “Don’t be like me. Live your life first. I learned the hard way. You don’t have to go through what I went through” talk with her two older children.
Back to Oriini’s mother, the mother of the family, who passed away in September 2021.
Recalling her final moments with her, a heartbroken Oriini took to Instagram to pen a lengthy, emotional post, part of which read: “I keep replaying the last moments of our lives together, lying in bed next to you, sobbing uncontrollably – trying to do it quietly so as not to worry you. You knew. You heard. And you tried to wake up and use all your strength to wrap your arms around me… You kissed my forehead and whispered, “I will find you.”
However, Oriini has never mentioned his father in any of his social media posts.
Related FAQs
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How tall is Oriini Kaipara?
Oriini Kaipara stands just under 5’6″.
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When is Oriini Kaipara’s birthday?
While celebrating her recent birthday on October 25, 2021, Oriini took to Instagram to beautifully write: “Grateful to you for giving me life 38 years ago so I can celebrate this day with you and our whānau. Happy Birthday to us, Mummy 💜”.
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What is Oriini Kaipara’s net worth?
Orinni Kaipara, who currently fills in as a regular presenter on Newshub Live evening show and late-night news bulletin at Discovery Network-owned Newshub, Three, had a net worth of nearly $750,000 when she became an internet sensation in December 2021.
She has also been a reporter and presenter on Māori Television’s Native Affairs news program since March 2016.