A Ngati Awa man who is getting a facial moko says a controversy over his actions was an example of ignorant cyberbullying.

Patrick Salmon, who stood for the East Coast for Internet Mana at the last election, walked into a social media storm when posters accused him of getting a moko  kauae, which is normally worn by woman.

He says his moko is at the pu kauae stage, covering the jaw line up to the top of his ears, and there is more to come for the full mataora.

He says people reacted without hearing his side of the story.

"Every moko represents a story. Our ancestors never had pen and paper so they would etch either their geneologies or their own stories into their skins and that's what it represents so people who are able to read the language are able to understand what it means," he says.

Mr Salmon says his family including his three daughters are proud of what he has done so far, and he’s determined to make moko a living part of their upbringing.