The co-leader of the Māori Party is worried for Māori women weighing up whether to get a moko kauae after her election hoardings were targeted by racist vandals over the weekend.
Two of Debbie Ngarewa-Packer's billboards were vandalised in the last few days, both of which are in Te Tai Hauāuru, a Māori electorate on the western side of the lower North Island that Ngarewa-Packer is campaigning to represent.
One of the hoardings was emblazoned with the deeply offensive racial slur 'c**n', while the other saw taggers paint over Ngarewa-Packer's chin in an apparent attempt to conceal her moko.
Police confirmed to Newshub that the vandalism had been reported.
Ngarewa-Packer says the vandalism is "not at all indicative of the people we're dealing with", but shows there's some "deep-seated racism" among a few individuals in Taumaranui and Whanganui, where the billboards were located.
While she's deeply saddened by the racially motivated attacks, Ngarewa-Packer told Newshub her first thought was for other Māori women who want to get moko kauae, but are put off by the potential backlash.
She admits it took her longer than she would've liked to work up the bravery to get the facial tattoo, which showcases the pride she feels in her heritage "and the ancestors who made me who I am today".
"I'm extremely humbled to be a wearer of moko kauae because I know what that means to other wāhine around me... It's taken a lot to encourage other wāhine to wear and be confident and proud of their heritage," she explained on Monday morning.
"When you see that subjective and very targeted hate, it actually makes you worried for other women who want to wear kauae. It's taken a long time to be able to see moko kauae worn, and I guess for us to enjoy it as part of us again.
"We want to encourage more of our own culture and the confidence to wear our heritage and our whakapapa."
Ngarewa-Packer says the tagging is an obvious attack on Māori culture, but is hopeful New Zealand will learn to promote and celebrate uniqueness, rather than tear it down.
"I'm saddened that someone feels so bad about us feeling so great about our culture... [that they] are threatened by what someone else's celebration is," she told Newshub.
"Settle down, it's really not that bad having other people around you feeling great about who they are, having a culture, finally being able to express our culture and our taonga.
"Nothing you're going to do is going to diminish the light of who we are."
Last month, Māori politician Tamati Coffey suggested he may have been the target of a hate campaign after several of the election hoardings in his Waiaraki electorate were damaged.
The Labour MP, who wrestled the Māori seat off Te Ururoa Flavell at the 2017 election, laid complaints with police after being notified of the vandalism.
