‘Really upsetting’: Māori student told to scrub off drawn-on tā moko design

One of New Zealand’s largest schools has been accused of discrimination after a Māori student was required to cover his tā moko – and earlier told to scrub a drawn-on version of the design from his arm. 

The mother of a Year 12 student at Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland says her son was told to “go to the bathroom and scrub it off” when he first had his tā moko design drawn on his arm, despite the school being informed beforehand. 

“It was really upsetting for him,” she said. 

Mount Albert Grammar’s headmaster told the Herald he had no knowledge of the incident and tā moko is “currently under consideration” by the school’s “Māori Parent Committee”. 

Her son (Ngāpuhi), who the Herald has agreed not to name, got the traditional Māori tattoo – symbolising iwi, whakapapa and personal identity – when he turned 16 last year. 

The mum said Mount Albert Grammar has a strict tattoo policy, with no exceptions for tā moko. 

“The rule is that you have to cover it up with a sleeve and you get detention if it’s showing at all,” she said. 

“What I tried to raise with the school was that it should be different for Māori students when they get tā moko because it’s a birthright, it’s a cultural expression. 

“They haven’t wanted to budge with that.” 

She said her request to meet with the school’s principal to discuss the issue was declined. 

Mount Albert Grammar headmaster Patrick Drumm told the Herald he had “no knowledge of the incident”. 

“Our current uniform policy has been in place for many years and is regularly reviewed and sometimes amended through a consultation process with the board of trustees,” he said. 

“We are a diverse community and are committed to ensuring students enjoy a sense of belonging at Mount Albert Grammar. Our school uniform rules are clear and every family agrees to these on enrolment into the school.” 

Mount Albert Grammar School is the second-largest school in the country with about 3500 students. Photo / NZME 

Drumm said tā moko was “currently under consideration” by the school’s rūnanga (Māori Parent Committee), which “provides strategic advice to the school around te ao Māori”. 

“Members of the rūnanga sit as elected trustees on our school board and are supportive of a considered process when requests for modifications of uniform are made. This process has worked very well for the school to date with taonga and other requests. 

“My understanding is that tā moko is currently under consideration by our rūnanga with a recommendation coming to the board in the near future.” 

The mum said it was “encouraging” that the school is considering changing its policy around tā moko. 

However, former and current Māori students still deserve “acknowledgment or even apology for the discrimination they have experienced”. 

She said it’s been a “constant battle” throughout her son’s years at Mount Albert Grammar to recognise things of “cultural significance” for tāngata whenua. 

“It makes the Māori students feel like their culture is not okay, that the school doesn’t have any room for it to belong, that it’s bad, it’s wrong. It’s really damaging identity-wise.” 

Tā moko is a traditional Māori tattoo and art form that symbolises iwi, whakapapa and personal identity. Photo / NZME 

She said her son has also been discriminated against for his choice of hairstyle. 

“A lot of the Māori and Pasifika students have a particular haircut. It’s a way of expressing your cultural identity, in a way that makes you feel proud and it’s an unspoken connection between the students.” 

In te ao Māori, hair and the head are considered tapu (sacred), and said to hold a person’s mana. 

The mum said the school threatened to stop her son from sitting his NCEA exams last year over his hairstyle: colloquially known as a rat’s tail. 

She said her son was pulled from class at the start of this year and told he couldn’t return unless he cut his hair. 

“Eventually he did feel like his hand was forced,” she said. 

“I’m very respectful of school rules and students presenting themselves in a professional way. I totally get that. But these are things that are culturally significant for tāngata whenua. 

“So I take great offence to their rules in that regard.” 

She hopes the school also extends any review of uniform rules to include hair. 

She said it was important for her son, who has faced racial discrimination outside school, to feel “support and belonging” at school. 

In 2021, Westlake Boys High School amended its uniform policy to allow tā moko and taonga Māori after two students were reportedly “deeply hurt” when asked to hide their tā moko.