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TAKATĀPUI TALK: ELECTION SPECIAL — POLITICS, POLICIES & A LITTLE BIT OF FILTH! 🌈🗳️

Politics has never sounded quite like this!

With the election approaching, Takatāpui Talk brings together a fabulous, outspoken panel for an unapologetically queer conversation about the issues affecting our communities across Aotearoa.

Host Donald Hollingsworth is joined by Paul Heard, Steven Oates, Tiffany Wayne, Annah Pickering and Mihirawhiti Searancke for a lively discussion covering Te Tiriti o Waitangi, housing, homelessness, healthcare, social welfare, transgender rights and the political decisions shaping our lives.

There are serious questions, differing opinions, personal experiences and moments that remind us why our voices deserve to be heard.

And then, naturally, things get a little naughty!

From outrageous political hypotheticals to our very own Fashion Police, no politician's wardrobe is entirely safe from scrutiny.

It's political commentary with humour, heart, a healthy dose of cheekiness and absolutely no shortage of personality.

Because politics affects all of us, and being informed doesn't have to be boring.

Whatever your political persuasion, we encourage you to listen, question, investigate the policies and make your own informed decision at the ballot box.

Our voices. Our stories. Our future.

🎙️ Takatāpui Talk — Indigenous Voices

Listener discretion advised: Adult humour, colourful language and frank political discussion.

#TakatapuiTalk #IndigenousVoices #NZElection2026 #Takatapui #RainbowVoices #MaoriVoices #PoliticalPanel #YourVoteMatters

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our conversations.
Our stories.
Our voices.

Arohanui.

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“This is my love letter.” ❤️🌈

Tonight on Takatāpui Talk — Indigenous Voices, we meet Krystal Kara, one of the wāhine stepping onto the stage for Miss Whakawahine 2026.

Krystal shares her whakapapa, growing up Māori, the whakawāhine who came before her, sisterhood, visibility and why Miss Whakawahine means so much more to her than beauty or a crown.

For Krystal, this pageant is a love letter — to her aunties, her whānau, the trailblazers who created space before her, and ultimately, to herself.

“We’ve always been here. We’re visible.”

With Miss Whakawahine taking place this Saturday, we’re proud to share another voice from this extraordinary community.

🎥 Krystal Kara — tonight on Takatāpui Talk, Indigenous Voices

#TakatāpuiTalk #IndigenousVoices #MissWhakawahine #Whakawahine #Takatāpui #Māori #TransMāori #Sisterhood #Visibility #PrideAotearoa #IndigenousStories

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our conversations.
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Arohanui.

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Tiffany Twist | Miss Whakawahine 2026, whakapapa and finding her voice

This week on Takatāpui Talk, Indigenous Voices, I sit down with Tiffany Twist for a kōrero full of humour, honesty and heart.

Tiffany takes us from her childhood in Kaiti and Ruatōrā to 27 years in hairdressing, and shares how her relationship with whānau, faith and whakapapa has shaped the woman she is today. We talk about takatāpui identity, the joy of finding community, and why she’s become so passionate about speaking up for our people.

Tiffany is also entering Miss Whakawahine 2026. She tells me how preparations are going, what she might do for her talent, and why putting on a good show matters more to her than winning.

There are serious moments, plenty of laughs, and a woman who knows exactly when to say what she thinks. Come and meet Tiffany Twist. 💜

Takatāpui Talk, Indigenous Voices — our stories, in our own voices.

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our conversations.
Our stories.
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Arohanui.

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Nephi’s Story | Takatāpui Talk, Indigenous Voices

After more than three decades, Donald reconnects with Nephi, a friend from his Auckland salon days. Together they revisit the late 1980s and early 1990s: the clubs, the fashion, their careers, and the people who helped them find their way.

When Donald asks what Nephi remembers about herself at that time, her answer is simple and moving: “I was lost.”

This is a conversation about the lives they lived then, the people they have become, and why those memories deserve to be heard and kept.

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our voices.

Arohanui.

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In this beautiful and deeply personal episode, Te Warena shares her journey from childhood into a remarkable working life shaped by creativity, education and service.

She reflects on growing up takatāpui, challenging the idea that our identities are something we are “influenced” into, before taking us through the many chapters of her career. At the heart of her kōrero is the extraordinary pastoral care she offers her learners—seeing the whole person, creating safety and helping each one recognise their own potential.

Warm, funny and full of wisdom, this is a conversation about identity, purpose and the lasting difference one caring person can make.

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our conversations.
Our stories.
Our voices.

Arohanui.

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🌈 TONIGHT AT 6PM | MACAU JOHNSON

Tonight on Takatāpui Talk, Macau Johnson shares a kōrero filled with the highs and lows of life.

From his childhood and studying Film and Television, to working on a recycling truck and becoming a Drag Race commentator, Macau speaks openly about the experiences that shaped him—including his extraordinary hauora journey.

Honest, funny and real—this is Macau’s story, told in his own words.

🎥 Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TakatapuiTalk

🎧 Listen on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/0f7P5M6L4IYgR1Qe2k5qgM

🎙️ Listen on Buzzsprout
https://takatapuitalk.buzzsprout.com

📘 Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TakatapuiTalk

📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/takatapuitalk

🎵 TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@takatapuitalk

Please follow, share and help us carry these stories further.

Our conversations.
Our stories.
Our voices.

#TakatāpuiTalk #IndigenousVoices #MacauJohnson #Takatāpui #MāoriPodcast #Hauora #DragRace #QueerMāori #RainbowWhānau #Aotearoa

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our stories.
Our voices.

Arohanui.

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In this powerful episode of **Takatāpui Talk — Indigenous Voices**, Donald Hollingsworth sits down with **Dr Huhana Hickey MNZM** for an intimate conversation about an extraordinary life.

Dr Hu is Māori, disabled, lesbian, a lawyer, academic, human rights advocate and internationally recognised voice for disability rights. But behind those achievements is a deeply personal story of identity, whakapapa, adversity, resilience, humour and an unwavering determination to create change.

From her childhood and the discovery of her Māori whakapapa, to living with disability, finding her place within our rainbow communities, studying law and becoming a formidable advocate for others, Dr Hu speaks openly about the experiences that have shaped her.

And amongst the serious kōrero, there is plenty of laughter — including the wonderful story of a moko that apparently likes to dance like Michael Jackson.

For Donald, hearing Dr Hu tell her story was an experience he won't forget.

This is more than an interview about achievement. It is the story of a wahine who has continually challenged the spaces that weren't designed to include her — and helped make those spaces better for the people coming behind her.

**An extraordinary life. An honour to share.**

🎙️ **Takatāpui Talk — Indigenous Voices**
Hosted by Donald Hollingsworth

#TakatāpuiTalk #IndigenousVoices #HuhanaHickey #Takatāpui #WhānauHauā #Māori #DisabilityRights #LGBTQIA #Aotearoa

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

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Our conversations.
Our stories.
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Arohanui.

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RAWIRI TAHAU MAURIRERE ❤️🖤

This week on Takatāpui Talk, I sit down with hairdresser and creative Rawiri Tahau Maurirere for a kōrero that begins with his childhood and his journey into hairdressing, before opening up a much bigger conversation.

Why are so many Takatāpui drawn to hairdressing, beauty, fashion and other creative industries? Can our choice of career also be about finding safety, belonging and a place where we are free to be ourselves?

We talk about Rawiri’s career with Buoy and Vivo, the emotional side of working with people, burnout and boundaries, chosen whānau, his next adventure in Rarotonga — and what we might say to young Takatāpui wondering where they belong.

Important conversations. Our stories. Real voices.

🎥 YouTube: Takatāpui Talk on YouTube
🎧 Spotify: Takatāpui Talk on Spotify
🎙️ Buzzsprout
📘 Facebook
📱 TikTok & Instagram: @takatapuitalk

#TakatāpuiTalk #Takatāpui #RawiriTahauMaurirere #OurStories #RealVoices #Hairdressing #CreativeIndustries #CareerChoice #EmploymentForTakatāpui #Belonging #Whānau #RainbowCommunity #Māori #RepresentationMatters #MauriOra

Thank you for listening to Takatāpui Talk with Donald Hollingsworth.

If this kōrero resonated with you, please follow, share, and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. Your support helps these stories reach more people across Aotearoa and beyond.

Follow Takatāpui Talk on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for episode updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and upcoming interviews.

Our conversations.
Our stories.
Our voices.

Arohanui.