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 ...

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.

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.

Maori warriors’ traditional full-face moko has a set format with specific designs for the forehead, cheek, lips and mouth, he said.

She is her country’s first news anchor to host a national primetime broadcast sporting ancestral markings on her face. “I love my moko. I love my culture,” she said.

A New Zealand woman made history on Christmas Day, becoming the first person with a Maori face tattoo to anchor a primetime newscast. Oriini Kaipara has been a journalist for almost 20 years ...

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