{"id":318229,"date":"2026-03-07T21:42:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T21:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/318229\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T21:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T21:42:17","slug":"argentinian-uber-driver-diego-acuna-on-his-full-face-mataora-te-ao-maori-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/318229\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentinian Uber driver Diego Acu\u00f1a on his full-face mataora \u2013 Te Ao M\u0101ori News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Argentinian Uber driver Diego Acu\u00f1a says he is M\u0101ori at heart – and that\u2019s why he wears a mataora, believing the cultural markings strengthen his mana and wairua.<\/p>\n

The 44-year-old from Patagonia had his full-facial tattoo completed two months ago.<\/p>\n

A mataora is a traditional<\/a>, full-face M\u0101ori cultural marking (t\u0101 moko) worn by men. It is considered a deeply personal visual representation of the wearer\u2019s identity and whakapapa (genealogy).<\/p>\n

The practice has seen a resurgence and is now commonplace in New Zealand. However, Acu\u00f1a lives in South America.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m Argentinian. I live in Patagonia, but my soul and body live as a M\u0101ori,\u201c Acu\u00f1a told the Herald.<\/p>\n

The tattoo has drawn attention in his hometown, where he drives for Uber. Locals question him, as do international visitors travelling through the mountain ranges around Patagonia.<\/p>\n

Diego Acu\u00f1a says he is Argentinian but his \u201csoul and body live as a M\u0101ori\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people see me, they ask if it\u2019s real. \u2018Is that M\u0101ori?\u2019<\/a>, and I say, \u2018Yes, it is\u2019,\u201d Acu\u00f1a said. He tells them about the history of moko and describes it as deeply special to him.<\/p>\n

His connection to M\u0101ori culture began during a year-long trip to New Zealand, which included the 2011 Rugby World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was captivated by the M\u0101ori people and their culture, and have been ever since,\u201d Acuna said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Diego Acu\u00f1a (left) and a friend show their support for the All Blacks. <\/p>\n

He said he experienced what he describes as the \u201cfull essence\u201d of M\u0101ori culture during that time. When he returned to Argentina, he felt the M\u0101ori spirit remained with him.<\/p>\n

He began with M\u0101ori-inspired tattoos on his arms, legs, chest and back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as if my past life was M\u0101ori,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In late 2025, after making dramatic changes in his personal life, Acu\u00f1a asked his tattoo artist to ink a mataora on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got my tattoo after making a life-career decision,\u201d he said. He had worked in a supermarket most of his life, but wanted a change of direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife said, \u2018You need to change your life\u2019, and I found driving an Uber is the best job in the world for me because I can meet people and talk, so I started my new life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that same reason, I got the moko.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The face of Argentinian Uber driver Diego Martin Acu\u00f1a. “I wear this with pride and honour” he said. Montage\/Herald. <\/p>\n

The mataora took six sessions to complete. The design was based on photographs Acuna sourced online. He declined to share the images when asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it hurt,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a does not know which part of Aotearoa the design originates from, or which whenua, iwi or whakapapa it may relate to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had shown my tattooist pictures of what I wanted, she said OK and did it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He tells people in Argentina the moko is a special M\u0101ori tattoo that may be done during moments of significance – \u201cjust like what happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel M\u0101ori and tell people this is my way of honouring the M\u0101ori culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Diego Acu\u00f1a and his wife Sol Gadea are planning a trip to New Zealand together. <\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a plans to bring his wife of five years, Sol Gadea, to New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want my wife to see your beautiful country and people and culture,\u201d he said. \u201cI just love it and I know she would too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community advocate, cultural adviser and T\u016bhoe kaumatua Rangi McLean<\/a> said while Acuna had not followed M\u0101ori protocol in receiving the mataora, he was willing to give the South American the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

After reviewing photographs, McLean said he could not identify the origin of the markings.<\/p>\n

\"\"T\u016bhoe kaumatua Rangi McLean told the Herald that even though Acuna had not gone through the proper M\u0101ori protocols to receive a mataora, he was willing to give the South American the benefit of the doubt. Photo \/ Supplied <\/p>\n

He wants to speak with Acu\u00f1a about the spiritual and cultural significance of wearing a mataora.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what I can see, his mataora has been done with purpose and good intent by a highly skilled practitioner,\u201d McLean said.<\/p>\n

There will be a group angry with what he has done<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Kaumatua Rangi McLean<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mataora has clean lines and the tattooist looks to have had some kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLean said that in his younger years, he would have viewed the tattoo as cultural theft. His perspective has shifted after meeting indigenous communities through his travels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was once staunch about this kind of cultural manipulation and misappropriation,\u201d McLean said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, there will still be a group out there angry with what he has done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"T\u016bhoe elder Rangi McLean said in his younger days he would have seen Acuna\u2019s tattoo as a theft of M\u0101ori culture – but his stance has changed. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a lot of haters who will say he has no right to do what he has with our cultural taonga – and they can have their view.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019d like to explain to Diego the cultural and spiritual side of a mataora. There is a wairua (spiritual essence) that goes alongside a mataora.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi is the first MP in over 50 years to wear the mataora in Parliament. <\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a said he intended to contact McLean. He does not want to denigrate M\u0101ori culture.<\/p>\n

For now, he wears his mataora with pride in his hometown of San Carlos de Bariloche.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel the mana of the M\u0101ori people, and I tell people here the story of why I tattooed my face,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wear this with pride and honour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The M\u0101ori t\u0101 moko artists approached by the Herald declined to comment on Acu\u00f1a\u2019s mataora.<\/p>\n

– NZ Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Argentinian Uber driver Diego Acu\u00f1a says he is M\u0101ori at heart – and that\u2019s why he wears a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[157334,172285,43770,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-318229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-cultural-appropriation","tag-mataora","tag-moko","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}