An Australian pub has been labelled "uneducated and culturally insensitive" after refusing entry to a Māori woman with a moko kauae.
On Sunday, Jadene Kini and her friend Madison Bartlett went to the famous Gold Coast pub Burleigh Pavilion, but were denied entry, in what the pair call "racism at its finest".
Staff at the Burleigh Pavilion told the pair, Kini's moko kauae was against the pub's dress code. Kini said they tried to highlight the significance of her moko kauae, but their appeal fell on deaf ears.
"Every Māori woman has birthright for kauae, it's an identity, it's who you are and where you come from," Kini told 7News.
"We tried to explain it's more than just a facial tattoo it's a cultural tattoo, but they didn't really want to listen," Bartlett added.
The pub's dress code bans intimidating or aggressive tattoos and a general blanket ban on face and neck ink.
Kini and Bartlett are now calling for a rule change, so distinctions can be made for culturally significant tattoos.
Newshub has approached the Burleigh Pavilion for comment.
