Newshub's Oriini Kaipara says she felt she had to respond after a viewer wrote in complaining about her "moku".
Kaipara shared a screenshot of the correspondence on her social media, in which a commenter called "David" had written in saying: "We continue to object strongly to you using a Māori news presenter with a moku [sic] which is offensive and aggressive looking."
She captioned the post: "This guy is one of 'those gifts' that keeps on giving", before revealing, "Today I broke my own code and hit the send button".
Kaipara shared the response she sent to "David", in which she said: "I gather your complaints stem from a place of how one must look on-screen, according to you.
"Moko and people with them are not threatening nor do they deserve such discrimination, harassment and prejudice."
She said it was difficult to take his complaints seriously as there had been no breach of broadcast standards.
She ended the reply by asking him to "Please refrain from complaining further, and restrain your cultural ignorance and bias for another lifetime, preferably in the 1800s".
Kaipara told Newshub she felt the constant complaints had been triggering to her and her whānau and iwi Māori.
"While I do read complaints made about me, which mainly centre on my moko kauwae and my use of Te Reo, and nothing with regard to any breach of the broadcast standards, I seldom rarely respond. This particular complainant is relentless though and what triggered my response, more than anything, was his misspelling of moko. I can't stand typos especially in Te Reo," Kaipara said.
"In truth, these types of complaints are being sent by a minority, people I find resistant to any progress but prefer the status quo. It's important to mention that I receive a lot of lovely, thoughtful letters, emails and messages.
"So I know there is more to appreciate than dwell on. Thank you to every person who takes the time to assure me that my presence and mahi is having a positive impact.
"I'm grateful for the support of my colleagues, peers and managers at Newshub. They look after me which I appreciate wholeheartedly.
"My heart though remains with my whānau and my iwi Māori who find such complaints triggering and therefore stand behind me and with me in all that I do. I am most grateful for their constant show of support, aroha, manaakitanga and for holding space for me when the going gets tough and a bit rough.
"I worked hard to get to where I am, and I'm here not for my own individual gain but to help bridge a long-standing divide between Pākehā and Māori that sadly still exists in our country. The fact my existence triggers some people is testament to why we need more Māori advocates in key roles across every sector.
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini (Success is not the work of an individual but the work of many)," Kaipara concluded.
There's been plenty of support for Kaipara online since she shared the post.
"I was so sorry to read of yet another ignorant, oafish racist message attacking your moko kauae and Te Reo on air - most of us stand in respect for your dignity and leadership," one said.
"Our babies seeing and hearing you is transformative and significant," wrote another.
