Oriini Kaipara (who was born in 1983) is a New Zealand Māori broadcaster, a journalist, translator, and an interpreter of the Reo Māori. Kaipara has worked for Mai FM, TVNZ 1, and Māori Television, and etc. She currently working as a co-Hoster in Three’s weekly political current affair reports shows in News hub Nation.

In the year 2019 Kaipara was the first person with a mako Kauai at mako facial tattoo on her chin to present the mainstream international television news. In 2021 she became the first person to host a news program on the national TV screen. Kaipara lives in West Auckland town and is also a mother of four children.

In 2020 Kaipara was upset by a portrait painted of her without taking her permission. It was drawn by a famous Auckland artist Samantha Payne. After meeting and talking with Kaipara, the artist apologized to her and removed the portrait from the public sale market.

Career

Kaipara was a newsreader and then in 2004, she joined TVNZ’s fully the Reo Māori Waka Huia both as a reporter and director.

In 2017, the Māori Television programmed Native Affairs, which was first presented by her, and also revealed that she has essentially pure Māori DNA. In November 2019 she was the first lady who presented with a mako Kauai on television news on TVNZ. In May 2021 she moved to Three and began presenting news on the programmed News hub Live at 4.30 pm every week Monday-Friday.

Recognition

In 2008, Kaipara won the award for best female television presenter at the Māori Media Awards an international News channel. Kaipara also won the Voyager award in 2018 for Best Māori Affairs Reporter for her work on Māori Television. In 2021 Kaipara received the best international recognition for being the first person to co-host a primetime news program on television and traditional facial markings.