‘Karen vs. Karen’ New Zealand library clash divides internet

A young woman has divided opinion after sharing footage of the moment she clashed with a “Karen” librarian who asked her to stop filming inside the building.

A young entrepreneur has divided opinion after sharing footage of the moment she clashed with a “Karen” who politely asked her to stop filming inside a library.

Punaomealeleipunaovaiola Taliaoa Sipiki and her friend were using a trip to record themselves working at a New Zealand library when a female worker interrupted the pair with a request.

“Hey guys, I’m really sorry, but you can’t film in the library without permission to do so, so you’ll have to shut the camera down,” the librarian said in the clip, which was captioned “Samoan Karen vs. Karen”.

Ms Taliaoa Sipiki responded: “We’re not filming anyone, just us.”

“Yeah, (you’re) not allowed to because it’s a public space,” the librarian replied.

“People are coming and going so you can’t film in the library without permission.”

A fledgling New Zealand entrepreneur has flexed her negotiating skills to spectacularly shut down ‘Karen’ while recording herself at work in a public space. Picture: Instagram

Ms Taliaoa Sipiki argued no other library users complained about the filming, to which the librarian responded it was the library’s policy.

It was at that point Ms Taliaoa Sipiki swung into action.

“Can I see the (policy) paper?” she asked.

“Umm … I can go try and find it for you … but in the meantime, you’ll have to shut it down,” the librarian responded.

Ms Taliaoa Sipiki retorted with a smile.

“Oh it’s okay, I’ll just wait for the paper,” she said.

She was then met with “No, no, shut it down first” from the librarian, but she said she would “wait for the paper” before stopping filming.

“Show me a legal policy saying that we cannot shoot anything in this library, and then I will shut it down. Thank you,” she said.

New Zealand Police state it is generally lawful to photograph or film in public places through filming in places where one can expect privacy – like a public changing area or toilet – is not permitted.

The businesswoman argued that no one else had complained and asked to see the policy paper, which the librarian couldn’t produce, leading to a split in opinions online. Picture: Instagram

Some indoor public spaces, like the NZ National Library, only permit filming with approval, though restrictions vary between establishments.

However, an official policy was never produced, according to Ms Taliaoa Sipiki.

“She never came back at all, but she was very much annoyed. There was no policy,” she claimed.

“I made sure no one else was in it when I was setting it up, and people just walked past the tripod like it was nothing.”

Her viral display split her followers, however, with some praising it as an act of class and others lamenting it as a disrespectful.

“That’s not a Samoan Karen that’s a Samoan queen,” one said.

“You handled this so gracefully … Straightforward and polite,” added another.

On the flip side, one said, “Now you’ve recorded her without her permission. You’re the only Karen here.”

Another added: “(The librarian is) not a Karen, she was standing her ground of her rights under her roof.”

Ms Taliaoa Sipiki responded to the criticism with another video showing the library’s online policy, where it stated permission was not needed.

Originally published as ‘Karen vs. Karen’ New Zealand library clash divides internet