Latest news with #DestinyChurch
RNZ News
22-07-2025
- RNZ News
Destiny Church protesters in court over Pride Festival charges
The protesters are expected to appear in Waitakere District Court on Wednesday. Photo: Protesters are set to appear in court today over serious charges linked to a protest at a Pride Festival event in Auckland. The group, linked to Destiny Church, were appearing in relation to disrupting a children's event at Te Atatu Library on 15 February. Around 30 adults and young children had to be barricaded into a room in when a group tried to drown out a children's event taking place at the centre as part of the annual festival. The defendants appeared earlier this year individually before community magistrate Fenella Thomas. The youngest person charged is 19-years-old. The protesters are expected to appear in Waitakere District Court on Wednesday and had pleaded not guilty to charges, including assault. More to come...
Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tamaki heads south to hunt
Brian Tamaki. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Hunting wild game to feed the hungry lures Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki to the Deep South once a year. Mr Tamaki visited Invercargill at the weekend, where he gave a sermon, before travelling to Te Anau to hunt wild deer and boars to help feed some impoverished Aucklanders. Mr Tamaki said he had hunted for game in Te Anau with his family for the past 15 years. He had developed good relationships with Southland farmers and hunters over the years which meant he could do the hunting, get the meat packed and transported to Auckland "at no cost", he said. An Auckland manufacturer then distributed the venison meat packs to local churches and charity groups. "I have made good friends with the people that I go out hunting with in Te Anau and, every year, they come out and help," he said. He said he looked forward to his annual jaunt and expected he and his group would get plenty of game.
NZ Herald
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Letters: Multicultural Council condemns Destiny Church march; East Coast tourism potential
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki led a march down Queen St in central Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau. Photo / Alex Burton Multicultural Council condemns Destiny Church march in Auckland The Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council welcomes New Zealand politicians speaking out against the appalling demonstration organised by the Destiny Church in Auckland last month. Destiny supporters railed against non-Christian religions, 'uncontrolled immigration' and ethnic communities. At the event, Palestine, Islam, Buddhist and
India Today
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Haka and flag-burning: Why New Zealand is seeing anti-immigration protests
"Faith, flag, family," chanted the crowd in Central Auckland as anti-immigration protestors gathered under the leadership of Destiny Church's Brian Tamaki. The demonstrators, many of whom performed the haka, tore, stomped on, and burned flags representing Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Palestine, each act of destruction followed by traditional war protest reflected a growing unease among some segments of New Zealand's population regarding the country's changing immigration a radical religious leader known for courting controversy, made his intent clear. "The spread of non-Christian religions is now out of control," he said, adding that "Any type of immigration without assimilation is invasion." The response from the country's leaders was swift and firm. Acting Prime Minister David Seymour called Tamaki's views "un-Kiwi".He also asserted that "New Zealand's great strength is that we are a nation of pioneers who moved here to give their children a better tomorrow."New Zealand's Police Minister Mark Mitchell also condemned the protest, describing the event and its use of sacred cultural practices as "vile rhetoric and behaviour," which, he said, had no place in the New Zealand has seen a larger anti-immigration sentiment. Here's AN IMMIGRATION PROBLEM IN NEW ZEALAND?The outburst in Auckland did not emerge in a Zealand, a country of just over 5.3 million people, has seen a dramatic surge in migration since late 2022. There has been a rise in migration to New Zealand after a lull in the Covid-19 years. While the government has emphasised the need for skilled immigrants, particularly in areas like education, it has also sought to prioritise native citizens for jobs where there are no shortages."The government is focused on attracting and retaining highly skilled migrants such as secondary teachers, where there is a skill shortage," said Immigration Minister Erica Stanford. "At the same time we need to ensure that New Zealanders are put to the front of the line for jobs where there are no skills shortages."Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who leads the conservative National Party, has echoed this concern. Speaking to Radio New Zealand in December, Luxon said the country's high net migration rates did not "feel sustainable at all," according to a BBC Zealand's housing crisis, worsened by record migration, has fuelled public frustration. The anti-immigration rhetoric is also a part of a global surge of protests against immigration.'FLOODGATES' FOR IMMIGRANTS IN NEW ZEALANDadvertisementCriticising the previous Labour government, Luxon said New Zealand's borders remained closed "at a time when employers were looking for workers [during the pandemic]... and then Labour opened the floodgates just as the economy was starting to slow".The consequences of this policy shift are now being debated across fear the influx of migrants could put further pressure on housing, pushing up rents and property prices. On the other hand, business groups argue that tightening visa rules too much could Employers and Manufacturers Association expressed concern over the new visa restrictions. "We are supportive of ensuring we are bringing in the right workers, and that they are not exploited," said Alan McDonald, the association's Head of Advocacy."But we do need to make sure we get the balance right. Making it harder for motivated workers to come into New Zealand means they will go somewhere else that hurts business and means our economy misses out."Complicating the picture further is the steady parting of New Zealand natives themselves, many of whom are moving to Australia in search of better 2023, New Zealand saw a record net loss of 47,000 anti-immigration protest in Auckland, while extreme in its expression, reflects deeper anxieties simmering within sections of New Zealand. With a record outflow of citizens, increasing pressure on housing, and rising cultural tensions, New Zealand stands at a crossroads.- Ends
1News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
'Not Kiwi, nor Christian': Minister condemns Destiny Church rally
The Minister for Ethnic Communities says he was "appalled" by a Destiny Church march on Saturday which was neither "Kiwi, nor Christian". Church followers marched down Auckland's Queen St on Saturday against "foreign religions", with leader Brian Tamaki saying the church was building a "Commonwealth crusade" to "reclaim Christian nations". A number of flags were also set on fire but were put out before firefighters arrived. In a post to Facebook, Minister Mark Mitchell said everyone had a right to freedom of speech and protest. "That does mean, however, that New Zealanders are free to condemn behaviour that is not in keeping with our values as a country and as a wider community. ADVERTISEMENT "I am proud to be the Minister of Ethnic Communities in a multicultural and diverse New Zealand, which has had a proud history of welcoming people from all walks of life." Destiny Church said the march was to take "a bold public stand for Christian values, Kiwi identity and the future of this nation". Mitchell said behaviour that incited discrimination or violence was "damaging" and condemned the "vile rhetoric and behaviour" of the Church and its associates. "The behaviour I saw was not Kiwi, nor Christian. "The use of taiaha, which is a culturally sacred weapon, to overtly stab at flags representing minority groups in our country, while being torn to pieces and burnt is not acceptable." Mitchell said the Government had a strong focus in public safety. "Anything that threatens or disturbs the public's right to go about their lives free from threat of violence is something I take very seriously. ADVERTISEMENT "New Zealand welcomes all people, of all backgrounds and ethnicities, who are willing to behave in a way that is tolerant and reflective of our values. The actions I saw from Destiny Church this weekend in my view are not welcome in New Zealand." On Saturday, Acting Prime Minister David Seymour denounced the marching, saying it was "un-Kiwi". "What it means to be Kiwi is people come from all over the world, and so long as they come peacefully to build a better world, then they're welcome," Seymour said. "Brian Tamaki's various attitudes have all sorts of problems, but at their heart they're un-Kiwi attitudes because they're intolerant and uninclusive. "What I take issue with is his attacks on other New Zealanders' right to practice their faith just as he has a right to practice his." Protesters and counter-protesters at the Destiny Church rally. (Source: 'Despicable event' - faith and ethnic communities ADVERTISEMENT Faith and ethnic communities have urged the Government to get moving on hate speech legislation in response to a Destiny Church march on the weekend. The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, the Combined Sikh Association of NZ, and the New Zealand Buddhist Council say the event was "despicable" and New Zealand needed a strategy for social cohesion. In a letter to the Government, all MPs and public sector agencies, the groups said there were "elements" in New Zealand who exploited the lack of effective hate speech legislation to gain notoriety through "racist stunts". "With the rapid rise of hate incidents reported to the NZ Police, we now have similar conditions which gave rise to the terror attacks of 15 March. In an increasing diverse multi-faith and multi-ethnic Aotearoa New Zealand, there needs to be in place a sustained strategy for social cohesion." "This was clearly outlined and specified in detail in the Royal Commission, which have now been mostly abandoned."
