Television presenter Oriini Kaipara, proudly wearing a traditional Māori face tattoo, responded gracefully to online trolls, reaffirming her cultural pride and identity.
Kaipara, a trailblazing 41-year-old newsreader for New Zealand’s Newshub, made history as the first person to deliver a primetime news bulletin while wearing the moko kauae, a significant cultural symbol worn by Māori women. The moko kauae, traditionally placed on the lips and chin, reflects a woman’s heritage, status, leadership, and familial connections within the Māori community, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.
Despite the praise Kaipara has received, one viewer named David expressed his displeasure through an email to Newshub. According to the Daily Mail, David’s message criticized Kaipara’s appearance, calling her moko “offensive and aggressive looking” and dismissing her use of the Māori language as “incoherent.”
Rather than ignoring the remarks, Kaipara confronted them head-on. She shared the email exchange on her Instagram story, handling the situation with grace and dignity. In her response to David, Kaipara pointed out that his complaints were based on personal preferences about appearance and corrected his misspelling of the word “moko.” She made it clear that moko kauae represents no threat, and such expressions of cultural pride do not deserve intolerance or discrimination.
“We mean no harm or ill intent,” Kaipara wrote. “Neither do we deserve to be treated with such disregard.” She added a sharp rebuke, telling David to hold off on expressing his “cultural ignorance and bias” until a time more suited to such views—“ideally the 1800s.”
Despite this negative comment, Kaipara emphasized that most responses to her are positive, and trolls like David are the exception. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald following the incident, Kaipara spoke about the importance of having more Māori advocates in prominent positions. “The fact that my existence triggers some people is testament to why we need more Māori advocates in key roles across every sector,” she said.
Kaipara’s composed response serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of cultural pride and resilience. Her actions inspire others to embrace their identities with confidence and stand up against prejudice.
A report says that Robert Saleh, the head coach of the Jets, thought about firing Nathaniel Hackett, the team’s offensive coordinator, before he was let go as head coach himself.
Robert Saleh said he was surprised to find out he was fired as the Jets’ head coach on Tuesday. A report shows that he was thinking about firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett after the team’s loss to the Vikings in Week Five. Todd Downing, the passing game coordinator, was likely going to take Hackett’s place.
However, firing Hackett might have caused tension with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, since Rodgers and Hackett have a close history from their time together in Green Bay. Jets owner Woody Johnson said he didn’t talk to Rodgers about firing Saleh, but he might have considered Rodgers’s opinion if there were problems within the coaching staff.
Now, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is the interim head coach, and Hackett is still leading the offense, which has scored the same amount of points as last season when Rodgers wasn’t playing.
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