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Horny on Main is a place to unpack and explore the complicated and messy territories of sex, love and intimacy. It's not just for the horndogs, it's for anyone who has wondered something quietly to themselves but hasn't been able to put that thought to words. It's putting it all out there in the open, matter of fact, clear as day, horny on main.  Together, Melody Thomas and Elena Beets help answer all your sticky questions. This one came in our DMs: How does someone think ass eating is hot?

How do you put a price on art?  Recently, Re: partnered with our friends at Basement Theatre for Art and Money: the second live event in our Disruptors podcast series. As the creative sector claws its way out of the pit of 2020, our live panel discussed what art is worth, both for our emotional survival and paying the bills.  Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art, produced by Basement Theatre.

Performance artist Moe Laga and comedian James Nokise are two Pasifika artists who share similar cultural backgrounds but make work that is on absolutely opposite scales of the performance art world. In the seventh episode of Disruptors - produced by our friends at The Basement theatre - Moe and James discuss treading the fine line between art and activism.  “When we started off as FAFSWAG there was really no lane for us as a group of queers from South Auckland to take us seriously, and take our art seriously. There were a lot of gatekeepers who weren’t going to put us on so we had to go out there and do it ourselves,” says Moe Laga, whose practice includes movement, activation and motherhood towards her arts collective and vogueing house Coven. “I feel like I keep continuing that and and that’s what I’m trying to teach the next generation of queer, indigo, rainbow children.” “I think a lot of young Pacific Island artists, because they grew up in New Zealand, they don’t understand that no matter their gender, their ethnicity, their existence is political, because we were colonised,” says comedian, writer and podcast-host, James Nokise. “To grow up and make art of any kind, there can not be a separation of art and activism because their existence itself is activism, so whatever art they make is activism. Period.”  

“To be an artist is to suffer.” The old adage coined by famed philosopher Aldous Huxley kicked off the fifth episode of Disruptors, which is the first to be recorded in front of a live audience at Basement Theatre.  Musician and activist Mazbou Q, artist Mya Morrison-Middleton, and award-winning poet and journalist Mohamed Hassan came together to talk about grief, and how they not only cope with it but make art from it.  With suffering so entrenched in the process and product of art, creative and Basement programming manager, Nisha Madhan questioned whether artists ever “play up their suffering” because audiences are “hungry for it”. “I really did feel those things,” says Mazbou Q referring to his emotional art that centres around racism. “But like how much of that was influenced by this consumer framework? There is a supply and demand here, people want to hear this stuff, so you want to say it.” Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art, produced by Basement Theatre.

Dr. Keri Milne-Ihimaera (Ngāi Tahu) isn't afraid to say it how it is - or how it should be when it comes to Māori in the education sector. She's devoted her life to proving the true academic brilliance of Māori in a Pākehā education sector.It all came to a head when Keri ended up taking on the Government of the time spearheading the community-led response to the statutory intervention of Moerewa School in 2012. As the then-principal of Moerewa School, what ultimately transpired would be a titanic showdown with the then-Minister of Education that would force westernised systems of teaching and learning to recognise Māori success in the education sector.This is Keri's story. This is The Taumata Kōrero.

Associate Professor Khylee Quince (Te Roroa, Ngāti Porou) is a straight talker who doesn't deviate from the facts when it comes to the New Zealand justice system. She has never been one to call a spade an inverted digging implement, so much so, she has dedicated her professional career to upholding fair, equal and just representation for Māori who have had a brush with the law. We all know someone who currently is, or has been involved with our jails - but how much do we really know as Māori about what goes on behind bars? What about the many unheard stories about the forgotten Māori faces locked up?This is Khylee's story.This is The Taumata Kōrero.

Te Kuru o Te Marama Dewes (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Rangitihi) knows a thing or two about what he likes to call pro-activism. It's in his whakapapa, it's in his DNA. His late grandfather was one of the many integral figures who delivered the 30,000+ strong Te Reo Māori Petition to Parliament in 1972. But what about this generation? How proactive are the current generation of Māori when it comes to decolonisation? Or should the new-age, educated, well-rounded Māori be more focused on the concept of re-indigenisation?This is Te Kuru o Te Marama's story.This is The Taumata Kōrero, a podcast of conversations that will inform, reform, question, challenge, debate, investigate, analyse, deconstruct and then reconstruct how we see ourselves as Māori.Join University of Auckland Māori language lecturer and award-winning former Māori journalist, Raniera Harrison (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Porou) as he critically analyses some of the most pertinent topics in the Māori world today.

In Māori language circles, Te Ataakura Pewhairangi (Ngāti Porou) is quickly becoming a household name. She’s but one of the growing population of new-age, well-equipped, young, vibrant Māori taking the world on after graduating from the kura kaupapa Māori system. At 17 she was presenting kids TV shows in te reo and she is now a lecturer at Massey University. It begs the question though, what does the future hold for total immersion Māori education? How sustainable is the model? This is Te Ataakura’s story. This is The Taumata Kōrero. Welcome to The Taumata Kōrero – the quintessential space to disseminate a little bit of esoteric knowledge – with a twist. Exclusively dedicated to conversation that will inform, reform, question, challenge, debate, investigate, analyse, deconstruct and then reconstruct how we see ourselves as Māori – this is the wānanga at it’s finest. Join University of Auckland Māori language lecturer and former award-winning Māori journalist, Raniera Harrison (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Porou) as he critically analyses some of the most pertinent topics in the Māori world today. Long Live The Wānanga.

In this special fourth episode of Disruptors, recorded in the depths of lockdown, four theatre practitioners reflect on what happens when the disruption in their work comes from the external force of a global pandemic. Calling in from their respective safeholds are industry leader and man of many creative hats Ahi Karunaharan, dance theatre artist Amber Liberté and fire cracker producers Alice Kirker and Elyssia Wilson-Heti. Listen into their discussion of lost artworks, slowing down and busting the myth of needing to be busy. “What is the conversation that the world wants to have now as we come out?,” asks Ahi. Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art, produced by Basement Theatre.

Episode three of Disruptors pairs up the incoming and outgoing producers-in-residence at Basement Theatre – Elyssia Wilson-Heti and Alice Kirker. If, like us, you’re still a little confused about what producers actually do, tune in.Elyssia and Alice share a passion for creating work that celebrates body positive, something they say inherently puts them in a disruptive space. It’s a position they are more than comfortable with as they consciously make work outside traditional bounds. “This idea of needing a seat at the table I’ve always found problematic,” says Elyssia. “If you’re still the only one person who isn’t usually on that table, quite frankly fuck your table. I’ll make my own table.” Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art, produced by Basement Theatre.

Sarita Das sets out to make art to “feel less alone”, and “more connected to the giant existence that is being human”.  The Tāmaki Makaurau theatre creator gets to the bottom of how that all comes about in discussion with director Alice Canton for this second episode of Disruptors.“You see a thing and when you come out of that film or show you can’t see the world in any other way because it’s shown you a new frame of reference,” says Alice.  Sarita and Alice chat through their creative process with all its struggles and triumphs, talk the importance of prioritising indigenous practices in theatre and dive into the big D, diversity.  Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art, produced by Basement Theatre.

The theme of the night was 'How I found my voice'. Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, activist and artist Qiane Matata-Sipu, Kāpiti Coast district councillor and Strike 4 Climate coordinator Sophie Handford and fashion designer Kristine Crabb all came together to kōrero about the many facets of being a wahine in Aotearoa. This podcast was recorded at our International Women's Day event on 9/3/2020, co-hosted with our mates The Oh Nine.

EPISODE 1: In the first ever episode of Disruptors, Comedy trio Frickin Dangerous Bro (Jamanie Ross, James Roque and Pax Assadi) talk about New Zealand’s comedy scene. How do you navigate an inherently white space as a person of colour? How do you know if you should keep pursuing your art or if it’s time to quit? What does Pax mean when he says “comedy is like adding the honey to the medicine” (a self-confessed, very FOB thing to say)? Disruptors is a podcast series where creatives in Aotearoa talk about how they disrupt with their art.

We spend a lot of money locking people up in this country. It costs $100,000 to keep one person in prison for one year. More has been spent in the last three years on prisons than in the entire history of Treaty of Waitangi settlements.This episode is about Manatika | Justice and how a kaupapa Māori approach focuses on accountability rather than just punishment. We talk to Ngāi Tūhoe artist and activist Tame Iti about his experiences with the justice system and criminologist Professor Tracey McIntosh about what a pre-colonial approach to justice looked like. Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part video and podcast series by Re:, made with the support of NZ On Air. Check out the rest of the series at renews.co.nzThis podcast was produced by Kayne Ngātokowha Peters and Anna Harcourt and edited by Colleen Brennan.

Migrants and Māori are often pitted against each other in Aotearoa. But the March 15th terrorist attacks at two Christchurch mosques showed the power of aroha and manaakitanga (showing respect, generosity and care for those outside your community).This episode is about Aroha | Love and its ability to bring communities together after hate. We talk to mosque attack survivor Nadeem Khan, Muslim New Zealander of the Year Asim Mukhtar and artist and activist Julie Zhu about how migrant and Māori communities have come together to stand against racism.Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part video and podcast series by Re:, made with the support of NZ On Air. Check out the rest of the series at renews.co.nzThis podcast was produced by Kayne Ngātokowha Peters and Anna Harcourt and edited by Richard Wills.

Between 1950 and 1999, it’s estimated around 100,000 children were taken into state care. The majority of them were Māori, and many of them were abused.This episode is about Whānau | Family and how state care has affected the lives of many Māori children. We talk to a survivor of state care abuse Tyrone Marks, and journalist and researcher Aaron Smale about the current Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care, and the ongoing impacts for whānau.Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part video and podcast series by Re:, made with the support of NZ On Air. Check out the rest of the series at renews.co.nzThis podcast was produced by Kayne Ngātokowha Peters and Anna Harcourt and edited by Richard Wills.

Only 4 percent of psychologists in Aotearoa are Māori. But Māori are 50 per cent more likely to experience mental distress than tauiwi, or non-Māori.This episode is about Hauora | Health, and the ways a kaupapa Māori view compares to the Western health system. We talk to clinical psychologist Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki about a Māori approach to mental health, and educator Heeni Hoterene about the Māramataka or Moon calendar and how it can impact our wellbeing.Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part video and podcast series by Re:, made with the support of NZ On Air. Check out the rest of the series at renews.co.nzThis podcast was produced by Kayne Ngātokowha Peters and Anna Harcourt and edited by Richard Wills.

Gender fluidity and sexual diversity was an accepted part of Māori and Pacific societies before colonisation.This episode is about Takatāpui | LGBTQIA+, and how pre-colonial understanding of gender and sexuality can help people with their identities today.We talk to Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, who authored some of the first major research on the acceptance of takatāpui people, and Shaneel Lal, a 19-year-old advocate for the LGBTQIA+ communities who is trying to get conversion therapy banned.Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part video and podcast series by Re:, made with the support of NZ on Air. Check out the rest of the episodes at renews.co.nzThis episode was produced by Kayne Ngātokowha Peters and Anna Harcourt and edited by Richard Wills.

This episode is about Mātauranga | Knowledge, and whose version of history is being represented in our country. We talk to Ian Taylor (Ngāti Kahungunu), founder of Animation Research Ltd, about creating a digital narrative of the voyage his ancestors took from Hawaiki, and teacher Tamsin Hanly, about the school curriculum she’s created to help teachers actually teach our history.

This episode is about Reo | Language and the power of speaking more than one. We talk to Stacey Morrison, one of Aotearoa’s leading Māori broadcasters about her journey to reclaim te reo, and Dr Kathryn Lehman, University of Auckland languages expert about how speaking another language can change your view of the world.

This episode is about Te Taiao | Nature and how we look after it. We speak to Tamati Kruger, chief Treaty negotiator for the Tūhoe iwi about this world-first legislation, and Brianna Fruean, Pacific Climate Warrior about indigenous responses to climate change. Proudly brought to you by NZ on Air.

Rediscovering Aotearoa is an 8-part bilingual series by Re:, made with the support of NZ on Air. The series travels Aotearoa, New Zealand meeting young Kiwis as they discuss the impacts of colonisation today, modern race relations and how they are decolonising themselves. Head to www.renews.co.nz for more.