A Te Karere presenter says she was "shocked" and "taken aback" after discovering an artist was selling a portrait of her without her consent.
Oriini Kaipara said she found out she was one of two Māori women painted by artist Samantha Payne when someone messaged her on Instagram.
Kaipara said she instantly recognised her moko despite never being asked whether she was happy with her portrait being used.
"It doesn't even look like me yet that is MY MOKO!
"Help. Someone is selling my moko. I'm not against artists, journos and whomever else using my image to promote our ao Māori and Māoritanga but selling MY moko for profit and for YOUR self-gain is damn disrespectful to say the very least," she said in a Facebook post on Saturday."
Kaipara then hosted a joint Facebook live with the other woman who was painted, Taaniko Nordstrom, who is herself a portrait artist.
During the livestream, Kaipara said after she was told about the painting she went on Payne's website and the second she saw how much her portrait was selling for "her blood boiled".
"I was shocked, I was surprised, I was taken aback... "I got a shock because the first thing I saw was this (moko kauae) and I know my kauae, I know my moko, and I just thought, 'What?'
"Then I saw a price tag on it and then immediately, my blood boiled."
Kaipara said she posted on Facebook because she felt "it was wrong" and she was "disappointed" that Payne didn't ask for her permission.
"To me it was wrong because I had never ever heard from her....and I felt disappointed and ripped off that she didn't have the courage to ask me whether it would be okay.
"Most artists or people in general, I don't know these people but they message me or send me a request. They find me, I don't know how but it's not hard and they do find me and I appreciate that."
Kaipara said most of the time she is fine with someone using her image for a story, or an exhibition but the moment money becomes involved she feels out of sorts.
Nordstrom said she saw her portrait when Kaipara's post popped up on Facebook and while she didn't recognise herself she instantly recognised the styling of the picture.
"Although it didn't exactly look like me, I knew straight away the reference photo and that it was of me on top of the Rockefeller building in New York in 2014.
Nordstrom said she was hurt because the artist didn't understand what it took for her and her sister-in-law to get that image.
"We worked so hard...we flew to New York, we had no money, we were sleeping on one couch, top and tailing, of her brother's mate's house in the middle of Hell's Kitchen."
"That hurt me, because without even realising it, she took the context of that image and the hard mahi that I know me and my sister-in-law had put into it right out of it," Nordstrom said.
Payne has since removed the images from her website and apologised for any "offence and hurt caused".
"My intention when painting has always been to capture a spirit or an energy in a subject matter whether that is an animal, a place or a cultural representation.
"I did not seek permission to paint these beautiful women and that is inexcusable and ethically wrong," Payne said.
She said she uses her art to "highlight our growth and journey, to celebrate our different appearances and values but also to emphasise our common humanity".
Payne said she apologised to Kaipara and Nordstrom yesterday and "now understand that by reaching out and personally connecting with my muses I can put even more meaning and heart into my work".
"There is a responsibility on artists to understand the importance of a tradition that they are representing. I still believe that art can educate and celebrate the beauty and journey within different cultures and I will continue to paint.
"However I will take the time to emotionally connect with the person, paint with full consent and continue with my education.
"For me my art has always been about love and appreciation, not controversy or disrespect. Hopefully this life lesson can benefit others going forward. With education comes understanding, appreciation and respect," Payne said.
