Brian Tamaki

Jan 20

**DOB:** 2 February 1958

**Nationality:** New Zealand

**Location:** Auckland, New Zealand
**Ideology/Affiliation:** Far-right/White Supremacism/Anti-Muslim/Anti-LGBTQ

**Type of Leader:** Fundamentalist Christian religious preacher and right-wing political activist

Current Status: Head of Destiny Church in New Zealand

Biography

Tamaki is a New Zealand-based Fundamentalist Christian religious leader and right-wing political figure. He is the pastor of Destiny Church, a Pentecostal Christian organisation in New Zealand that supports strict adherence to fundamentalist biblical morality. It is known for its anti-homosexuality stance, patriarchal attitudes, and demands for a return to biblical conservative family values and morals. Following his baptism by pastor Manuel Renata, Tamaki became heavily involved with the Ngaruawahia Apostolic Church.

Along with his wife Hannah Lee, Tamaki attended the Apostolic Church's Te Nikau Bible College in Paraparaumu, where he became an ordained elder, and later in September 1984, he became the pastor of the Tokoroa Apostolic Church. Later, he went on to establish the Rosetown Community Church in Te Awamutu, the Lake City Church in Rotorua, City Church and then Destiny Church in Auckland.

In May 2019, the Tamakis launched a political party named Coalition New Zealand, led by his wife Hannah. In the announcement, they claimed that the party won’t be explicitly Christian, but will stand firmly against abortion and homosexuality. Later, the Electoral Commission found that the party’s name was potentially misleading and the name was changed to Vision New Zealand.

Tamaki has become a controversial figure in New Zealand due to his disputable comments and the wealth he accumulated by preaching the prosperity gospel to mostly working-class audiences.

Banned

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5.8K followers

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Banned

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Apostle Brian Tamaki

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Evidence of Hate Speech/Incitement:

March 2020: Tamaki claims the coronavirus outbreak is proof that the world has “strayed from God,” and that his followers will be protected - a statement that an Anglican leader has called “dangerous.”

June 2019: Tamaki issued a post on his Facebook page warning New Zealanders about the dangers of Muslims: “We can not accept the proliferation of Islam in our country and think just because you're tolerant, accepting and inclusive that we won't end up like Great Britain, South East Asia, and most of Europe with violence, loss of the host country's identity, their values and culture destroyed, and Sharia Law enacted.”

March 2019: Following the mosque shootings in Christchurch, Tamaki posted a Tweet condemning Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s plan to host an Islamic call to prayer ahead of the two-minute silence for the victims of the Christchurch killings on March 22, 2019. Additionally, Tamaki called Islam a “false religion” and wrongly claimed that Christianity was New Zealand’s national religion.

November 2016: Brian Tamaki sparked outrage when he stated during a sermon that the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes were divine retribution for wicked behaviour, including homosexuality. These words were made just a few hours before the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. Leading New Zealand public leaders, including Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker, Prime Minister John Key, and the Anglican bishop of Dunedin, Kelvin Wright, all criticised Tamaki’s remarks.