Oriini Kaipara

{{Infobox person

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| name = Oriini Kaipara

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}

| birth_place = Whakatāne, New Zealand

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| occupation = Broadcaster / Journalist

| spouse =

| children = 4

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Oriini Kaipara (born 1983) is a New Zealand broadcaster, journalist and translator and interpreter of Māori and English. Kaipara has worked for Mai FM, TVNZ 1, Māori Television, and Three.

In 2019 Kaipara was the first person with a {{Lang|mi|moko kauae}} facial tattoo to present mainstream television news. In 2021 she became the first such person to host a prime-time news programme on national television.

Early life

Kaipara was born in Whakatāne in 1983. Her iwi are Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Rangitihi. She attended a Kura Kaupapa Māori, and trained at South Seas Film and Television School in 2002.{{cite news |last=Willetts |first=Cole |date=31 December 2019 |title='It's for all of us': How news presenter Oriini Kaipara is making history with her moko kauae |work=Woman's Day |url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/lifestyle/career/news-presenter-maori-oriini-kaipara-moko-kauae-tattoo-44133 |accessdate=23 May 2020}}

Career

Kaipara was a newsreader at Mai FM, and then in 2004 joined TVNZ's fully te reo Māori Waka Huia as a reporter and director.

In 2017, the Māori Television programme Native Affairs, which she presented, revealed she has essentially pure Māori DNA, despite having some Pākehā ancestry.{{cite news |date=12 April 2017 |title=Oriini Kaipara responds to public reaction |work=Māori Television |url=https://www.teaomaori.news/oriini-kaipara-responds-public-reaction |accessdate=23 May 2020}}{{cite news |date=8 January 2018 |title=Native Affairs newsreader Oriini Kaipara identified as 'full-blooded Maori' via DNA test |work=The New Zealand Herald |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11971310 |accessdate=23 May 2020}}{{Cite web |last=Kaipara |first=Oriini |date=13 April 2017 |title=A DNA test showed I'm 100% Māori. Many thought there were none of us left {{!}} Oriini Kaipara |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/13/a-dna-test-showed-im-100-maori-many-thought-there-were-none-of-us-left |access-date=10 January 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

She received her moko kauae facial tattoo in January 2019 while she was a journalist for TVNZ's Te Karere.{{Cite web |author=Jeevan Ravindran |title=Māori journalist becomes first person with facial markings to present primetime news |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/new-zealand-maori-news-journalist-tattoo-scli-intl/index.html |access-date=1 January 2022 |website=CNN |language=en}} In November 2019 she was the first person with a moko kauae to present mainstream television news on TVNZ's 1News.{{cite news |date=28 November 2019 |title=Oriini Kaipara first with moko kauae to read major news bulletin |work=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/117787888 |accessdate=23 May 2020}}{{cite news |date=28 November 2019 |title=TVNZ's Oriini Kaipara first with moko tattoo to present mainstream news |work=The New Zealand Herald |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12289233 |accessdate=23 May 2020}}

In May 2021 she moved to Three and began presenting news on the programme Newshub Live at 4.30pm.{{Cite web|date=23 May 2021|title=Ground-breaking Māori presenter Oriini Kaipara heads to Three with Newshub role|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300315073/groundbreaking-mori-presenter-oriini-kaipara-heads-to-three-with-newshub-role|access-date=1 January 2022|website=Stuff|language=en}}

In February 2022 Kaipara joined Simon Shepherd as co-host of Three's weekly political current affairs show Newshub Nation. As host, she was valued for her conversational fluency in both Māori and English, her approach to political issues that are important to Māori, and her commitment to the renewal of both te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.{{Cite news |title=Oriini Kaipara joins Simon Shepherd as Newshub Nation co-host |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/02/oriini-kaipara-joins-simon-shepherd-as-newshub-nation-co-host.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221210418/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/02/oriini-kaipara-joins-simon-shepherd-as-newshub-nation-co-host.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 February 2022 |access-date=11 March 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Jack |first=Amberleigh |date=22 February 2022 |title=Oriini Kaipara has a new role as co-host of Newshub Nation |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/127849904/oriini-kaipara-has-a-new-role-as-cohost-of-newshub-nation |access-date=11 March 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}

In 2022, Kaipara acted the parts of Te Akiu in the film We Are Still Here, and Hine in Muru. She has also presented news on AM, guest hosted The Project and hosted Cyberworld.{{Cite web |title=Oriini Kaipara {{!}} Actress |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10804811/ |access-date=24 October 2023 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}

Kaipara announced in December 2023 that she would be leaving TV3 to become Māori cultural lead for the New Zealand Olympic Committee.{{Cite news |date=21 December 2023 |title=Broadcaster Oriini Kaipara leaving TV3 to take up Olympic role |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/broadcaster-oriini-kaipara-leaving-tv3-to-take-up-olympic-role/7BEUCD2GUZAWFFNQGXNRMVUEJA/ |access-date=20 December 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald}}

Recognition

In 2008, Kaipara won the best female television presenter award at the Māori Media Awards.{{Cite web|title=Kōkiri 8 – Profiling Oriini Kaipara|url=https://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/mo-te-puni-kokiri/kokiri-magazine/kokiri-8-2008/profiling-oriini-kaipara/|access-date=1 January 2022|website=www.tpk.govt.nz|language=en}} In 2018, Kaipara won the Voyager award for Best Māori Affairs Reporter for her work on Native Affairs for Māori Television.{{cite news |title=Oriini Kaipara says best reporting win was a team effortn|url=https://www.teaomaori.news/oriini-kaipara-says-best-reporting-win-was-team-effort |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Māori Television |date=12 May 2018}}

In 2021 Kaipara received international recognition for being the first person to host a prime-time news programme on national television, with traditional facial markings.{{cite news |last1=Ravindran |first1=Jeevan |date=2021 |title=Māori journalist becomes first person with facial markings to present primetime news |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/new-zealand-maori-news-journalist-tattoo-scli-intl/index.html}}{{Cite web |title=Meet Oriini Kaipara: First news presenter with traditional face tattoo – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/buzz/meet-oriini-kaipara-first-news-presenter-with-traditional-face-tattoo/articleshow/88674207.cms |access-date=11 March 2022 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Torre |first=Giovanni |date=29 December 2021 |title=Maori newsreader becomes first person with chin tattoo to anchor news programme |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/12/29/maori-newsreader-becomes-first-person-chin-tattoo-anchor-news/ |access-date=11 March 2022 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite web |date=3 January 2022 |title=Why the world cares so much that Oriini Kaipara read the prime time news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300490066/why-the-world-cares-so-much-that-oriini-kaipara-read-the-prime-time-news |access-date=4 January 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en}}

Personal life

Kaipara lives in West Auckland and has four children.

In 2020 Kaipara was upset by a portrait painted of her without permission by Auckland artist Samantha Payne, in which her unique moko kauae was prominently displayed. Moko kauae are considered sacred and commercialisation of them is considered immoral by many Māori.{{Cite web |title=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350226740/oriini-kaipara-not-okay-about-you-profiting-my-whakapapa-art-work-removed-sale |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.stuff.co.nz}} After talking with Kaipara, the artist apologised and removed the portrait from public sale.{{Cite web |title=Te Karere's Oriini Kaipara 'shocked' and 'taken aback' after discovering portrait painted without her consent for sale |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2020/05/10/te-kareres-oriini-kaipara-shocked-and-taken-aback-after-discovering-portrait-painted-without-her-consent-for-sale/ |access-date=12 March 2022 |website=1 News |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=Te Karere presenter 'shocked' after seeing portrait of her being sold without consent |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/05/te-karere-presenter-shocked-after-seeing-portrait-of-her-being-sold-without-consent.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511052555/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/05/te-karere-presenter-shocked-after-seeing-portrait-of-her-being-sold-without-consent.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 May 2020 |access-date=12 March 2022}} There was another unauthorised painting made of Kaipara in 2024, with a very similar portrait being sold by a South African-born artist that emphasised her moko kauae. The artist netted $1,200 for the work and refused to apologise or speak to the media.{{Cite web |title=Māori presenter’s moko painted without permission, again |url=https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2024/03/26/maori-presenters-moko-painted-without-permission-again/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Te Ao Māori News |language=en}} Kaipara described the incident as “profiting off her whakapapa”, and encouraged the artist to donate his earnings to a kohanga reo.