Story: Tā moko – Māori tattooing

14-year-old with moko, 1996

When 14-year-old Tūhoe schoolgirl Hapai Hake chose to receive the moko (facial tattoo) in 1996, her Pākehā school principal, Bob Delatour, was outraged. But Hapai's neighbour Tame Iti (who wears a full-face moko himself) defended her right to adopt a traditional moko. This clip from a 1996 television news programme explores the issues around the contemporary revival of moko.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Rawinia Higgins, 'Tā moko – Māori tattooing - Contemporary moko', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/41252/14-year-old-with-moko-1996 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Rawinia Higgins, published 5 Sep 2013