But one woman's striking chin design - or moko - has generated huge debate in New Zealand, because she is white, with no Maori heritage.

With her appearance on national television, Oriini Kaipara showed not only pride in her origin, but also the strength of ...

The designs have both fascinated and frightened outsiders for generations. In the 19th century, curiosity seekers traded gunpowder with the Maori for the tattooed heads of their dead warriors.

Mr Te Tai revealed to TVNZ1 ’s Te Karere that while he had originally had reservations about his wife having the traditional Maori tattoo, he eventually came around to the idea.

“Maori regard the face or the head as particularly sacred,” Mera Lee-Penehira, associate professor at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, told the BBC. The face tattoo dividing New Zealand.

Sally Anderson has been accused of using her face tattoo to boost her life coaching business. (Photo: Evolved Leadership) She reiterated the importance that Maori people place on face tattoos, saying ...

In a first, a New Zealand woman journalist made history on Christmas Day, becoming the first person with a Maori face tattoo to host primetime news on national television. On December 25, 37-year ...

Facial tattoos have been a part of Maori culture for centuries, a sacred marker of the wearer's genealogy and heritage. But one woman's striking chin design - or moko - has generated huge debate ...