'This is who I am', says first female MP to wear Māori facial tattoo in NZ parliament

Move by Nanaia Mahuta hailed as a gesture of rangatiratanga, or self-determination, dissuaded during colonial era

A New Zealand Labour MP has spoken of her pride after becoming the first woman to wear a moko kauae, or traditional female MAori chin tattoo, in parliament.

"Moko is a statement of identity, like a passport," Nanaia Mahuta, from the Waikato-Maniapoto tribe, told the Guardian. "I am at a time in my life where I am ready to make a clear statement that this is who I am, and this is my position in New Zealand."