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It marks the choir's second international win in two weeks. Video / NZ Youth Choir via Facebook
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The Spinoff
7 days ago
- The Spinoff
What a strip club run by strippers looks like
At this strip club the dancers kept all their tips, there were no unfair overheads or fines and definitely no exploitative management. The lights are dim, the bar glows, and everywhere there are beautiful dancers in lingerie. They're unnaturally tall in their eight-inch heels, glamorous with their criss-cross ribboned legs, perfect make-up and hair. I, in my ordinary clothing, feel short and human next to them. That's part of the fantasy though – they're professionals, they're performing, and I'm there to spectate. It's the Fired Up Stilettos (FUS) strip club takeover event and this is my Saturday night. FUS is a collective movement of strippers fighting for labour rights and legal protection. It was formed in 2023 when 19 strippers were fired via Facebook post from Calendar Girls for attempting to collectively bargain for fair pay and contractual rights. Strippers and sex workers have long worked under subpar employment conditions – despite strippers generally only working for one club, they are classified as independent contractors and therefore don't have employee rights and protections. Strip clubs usually take huge cuts from their dancers' tips and impose unfair and illegal fines on them. It's also well known that sex workers face societal stigma and discrimination. Some sex workers struggle to find alternative employment if people know that they've done sex work. Agencies and forums have often failed to protect sex workers, even when sex workers have asked for help. As a result, sex workers have formed their own groups in order to help themselves. FUS received media attention in 2024 when it called on parliament to grant sex workers the same labour rights as other independent contractors. In 2025, they continue to support collectivist action within workplace, creating and sharing educational resources so sex workers can know their rights, and campaigning for legislative change. Their takeover events dually serve as fundraisers to keep the movement running and demonstrations of what strip clubs run by strippers could look like. FUS strip clubs could be the industry standard – dancers keep all their tips, there are no unfair overheads or fines, and there's definitely no exploitative management. When I arrive at the secret location (only revealed on Saturday morning) I feel like I've stepped back in time. There are men with suspenders and grey felt caps, women in flapper dresses with feathers in their hair. A performer in a beaded cape sings in a smooth alto while playing cello. The bar serves Negronis, French 75 cocktails and sparkling wine. I order my first drink and move into the main space, where a pole has been set up in one corner, and dancer after dancer performs to songs of their choice. After they dance, they walk around the floor. 'Are you tipping tonight?' a dancer asks me. I tuck $5 of strip club money into the waistband of her thong, determined to be a good strip club patron. There's something hypnotising about pole dancing. It's one of the reasons I watch dancers on Instagram reels, admiring the grace of making something difficult look effortless. I started pole dancing in February, and it's made me appreciate good pole dancers so much more. Pole dancing is hard. I often leave classes with new bruises on my feet or calves. There's a unique kind of pain that comes from trying to hold up your whole body weight by grasping a metal pole with your inner thighs. Sometimes, when learning a new move, I feel as cumbersome as a spinning chicken on a stick. These dancers are polished. They demonstrate clear control over their bodies. It's the way they climb the pole and shift from position to position, the dramatic thwack of their heels against the floor. I watch, entranced, while their bodies contort and extend, stretch and spin. They rotate slowly then fast, limbs arranged in graceful formations. The performances feel like a celebration, with both performers and patrons cheering each time someone does something impressive. I run into several people I know. Kiwiburn friends. Zouk dance friends. A guy I did English literature at university with. There are maybe 30-50 people at the event across the night, with a slightly different demographic to that of a commercial strip club. There are probably more women among the patrons. The crowd is also younger, as lots of dancers, friends and partners have come along to support. The real difference though is that everyone is there because they support sex worker rights, and this inherently means that they respect sex workers. Almost every stripper has a story of sexual harassment or abuse. The FUS takeover event is partially so fun because dancers feel safe to do their jobs. 'Does this feel different to a normal strip club?' I ask one patron, who tells me he drove from Palmerston North to be here. 'Definitely,' he says. 'There's no seedy atmosphere.' In the dressing room, office tables have been joined together and are covered in a chaotic mess of bags, takeaway containers, make-up and clothes. Dancers fix their make up, relax on the couch, take breaks from working. I ask if I can take some photos, and a few of the dancers say yes. I get one great shot of them, backs to me on the couch. I airdrop the photos and by the end of the night, it's already been posted on three different accounts. You have to admire the hustle. After all, it's not just the pole dancing they have to do. Everything they do out on the floor is a performance, from the walking around and tip collecting to the conversations and private dance. It's work, and some of the dancers do this physically and emotionally difficult work for several nights a week. A lot of the FUS dancers now work independently, unwilling to once again be subjected to the working conditions of strip clubs. Some of the dancers have OnlyFans. Some of them make most of their money from escorting. Some of them have 'ordinary' jobs in completely different industries. It doesn't matter. Sex workers and strippers deserve employment protection just like everyone else. As long as there is a market for sex, there will be people who do sex work: those people should be able to work safely. In a lot of ways, the evening feels just like being at a particularly elaborate party. The night passes quickly in the sparkly blur of conversations, glasses of French 75, the spinning pole. At one stage, I slip outside for a smoke break with three of the dancers and the MC. We shelter from the wind in front of a garage. As we move to leave, the garage door cracks open with a violent screech and we all jump. I leave around midnight, when the event ends. I have a heavy head, sore feet from dancing, and several promises to keep in touch. As I drift off to sleep, I keep seeing the dancers on the pole. In my head they're still going round and round.
NZ Herald
19-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Maama Ghee: How I went from crime and prison to a new life and the boxing ring
She now trains at the gym four days a week for two hours a session - and is about to compete in a boxing charity match for a cause dear to her heart, under her boxing name Maama Ghee. She did it for her three kids - aged 15, 13 and 3. 'I'm so proud of myself' she said. The big event These days, Maama Ghee gets around 7.6 million views a month on her Facebook Page, and 2.6 million likes per month on her Tik Tok. She posts material about her workouts, and her life. 'I want to set an example for those who lack confidence and find it hard to step out of their comfort zones,' she said. Kimi Parata working out at the gym as she prepares for her corporate boxing match. Parata (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Paoa) has dropped 40kg and bulked up for a corporate fight night in Pakuranga on August 30 in an effort to raise suicide awareness. She will fight Memz at the Ben Lamond Centre, someone she has never boxed against before. 'All I know is Memz follows me on Facebook,' Parata said. Social media influencer CWK Nix is her cousin and will be in her corner on fight night, she said. Parata hopes to raise awareness of suicide. 'I lost an ex-partner to suicide, and also family members, so it's close to my heart. Kimi Putere Parata is preparing to fight Memz, who she has never boxed against before, in an August match. 'The last I heard from [my ex] was when she was released from prison in 2023 and she passed away that same year. I used emotions I felt and put it into fitness, and I know she is proud of me.' The organiser of her upcoming fight is one of Parata's 70,000 Facebook followers, Junior Pati AKA Pitbull - a former champion boxer who runs promotional companies Pitbull Showdown and King of the South. A tough start in life Parata told the Herald she's motivated by her dysfunctional upbringing, which included abuse, loss, boarding schools and state care. 'When I was nine, I was hanging with street kids in the hood stealing and drinking, smoking weed,' she said. 'I was taken off my mother at ten, my father died when I was 11. 'I was in and out of juvenile prisons, Kingslea and Rolleston in Christchurch and I went through sexual abuse and rape throughout my life as a child. Kimi Putere Parata. 'I was the youngest on the streets as a prostitute on Manchester St when I was 12ish.' Between 2015 and 2021 Parata served prison time for aggravated robbery, kidnapping and causing grievous bodily harm, she said. She told the Herald she hasn't offended since 2021. Parata sees herself as a role model 'My goal is to just step in the ring and fight for light, fight for right, fight for our people and of course growth and healing within my own journey. 'I hope what I share helps our people across the globe ... I'm not perfect but I am on an amazing path to being my best self and do believe I can help others stuck in darkness or [who] may need to hear what I may share.' 'I will continue my fitness journey and boxing' She also wants to become a personal trainer for those who struggle to get out of the house and into a gym. Kimi Parata is on the undercard of this boxing event on August 30. And her dream is to start her own brand of clothing. 'I'm starting back up with my own merchandise brand Mamagheeghee clothing and also my own fitness logo DMC which means dedication motivational change. Which I created after I gave up meth,' Parata said. Mamaghee The Motivator is taking on Memz in a charity boxing fundraiser. Parata is fighting Memz on the undercard at the Ben Lamond Centre in Pakuranga on August 30. Joseph Los'e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los'e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.
Scoop
19-07-2025
- Scoop
Pavarotti's Widow Pays Tribute To New Zealand Youth Choir
July 16, 2025 Nicoletta Mantovani, widow of Luciano Pavarotti and organisers of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales have paid tribute to the "outstanding" New Zealand Youth Choir. This follows their remarkable triumph as Choir of the World at the world-renowned festival. In a double celebration for New Zealand, the choir's director, David Squire, was also named Most Inspiring Conductor. David Squire was presented with the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy by Nicoletta Mantovani, widow of the legendary opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, the world's best-selling classical artist. Nicoletta Mantovani said: "On behalf of the Pavarotti Foundation, I was honoured to present the Pavarotti Trophy to the exceptional New Zealand Youth Choir, winners of Choir of the World at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod. Their talent and passion truly reflect Luciano's spirit - especially during this special year as Decca Classics celebrates 90 years since the birth of the great Maestro." Founded in 1947, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod promotes peace and friendship through music and dance. This year's event also honoured the memory of Luciano Pavarotti, who performed at the festival in 1955. In partnership with Decca Classics, his long-time record label, a 120-foot chalk mural of the Maestro on the hills overlooking Llangollen. It was commissioned with the approval of Nicoletta Mantovani and was unveiled near the iconic Llangollen Pavilion. Decca Classics has also announced a year-long celebration marking what would have been Pavarotti's 90th birthday. As part of the tribute, they have released 'The Lost Concert', an album featuring Pavarotti's historic 1995 performance at Llangollen. Chair of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, John Gambles, praised the choir, who also recently achieved success at the European Choir Games in Aarhus, Denmark. John said, "This choir should be a source of immense pride for everyone in New Zealand. Our audiences fell in love with their sound, spirit, and stage presence. They were not only musically exceptional but also outstanding ambassadors for their country. The Llangollen Eisteddfod upholds some of the highest musical standards of any choral competition in the world. For the New Zealand Youth Choir to win Choir of the World on the very stage where Luciano Pavarotti's international career began is a tremendous achievement. The crowd was captivated when the choir performed an impromptu haka before rushing to the stage to celebrate with their inspirational conductor, David Squire."
