Some New Zealanders with indigenous Māori heritage wear tattoos on their face or arms that represent their genealogy and are culturally sacred. Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon said the policy was being dropped and non-offensive tattoos would be allowed. Tania Te Whenua, head of Te Whenua Law and Consulting which provides Māori cultural advice to organisations, said New Zealand companies, particularly those that profit from using Māori culture in international marketing campaigns, should respect the cultural rights of their staff. "That's a shortcoming of the embracing of Māori culture and other cultures by organisations only so far as it's profit-making ... that makes it particularly egregious for Māori," she told Reuters. The tattoos, known as 'Tā Moko' are a deeply sacred expression of cultural identity, Te Whenua added.

Source: bd News24 June 10, 2019 03:00 UTC