Facial tattoos bar ban 'wrong'

People with facial tattoos should not be stopped from entering bars, the Race Relations Office has ruled.

The office's annual report tabled in Parliament yesterday said people had complained about being refused entry to bars because they wore a moko.

"People with tattoos are often turned away from bars because of the perceived associations between tattoos and gang membership.

"Bar owners are quite open about the practise, claiming that they are not discrimination because the ban applies to everyone, irrespective of race."

The office's complaints division did not accept that tattoos were a signal of disruptive behaviour and decided the policy discriminated indirectly because it impacted disproportionately on people who wear them as a reflection of their culture, the report said.

- NZPA