Brian Tamaki

Brian Tamaki
Tamaki at the Christchurch leg of the "Nation Under Siege" tour, 2005
Tamaki at the Christchurch leg of the "Nation Under Siege" tour, 2005
Personal
Born (1958-02-02) 2 February 1958 (age 66)
Te Awamutu, Waipa County, Waikato, New Zealand
ReligionChristianity
Spouse
​
(m. 1980)​
DenominationDestiny Church
Known forFounder of Destiny Church and leader of the Destiny New Zealand party (2003–2007)

Brian Raymond Tamaki (born 2 February 1958)[1] is a New Zealand Christian fundamentalist religious leader, and politician.[2] He is the leader of Destiny Church, a Pentecostal Christian organisation which advocates strict adherence to fundamentalist biblical morality. Tamaki has been involved with various fringe political parties and movements, and since 2022 he has led the Freedoms New Zealand party. A perennial candidate, he has run for office several times but has yet to be elected.

Founded by Tamaki in the 1980s, the Destiny Church is known for its position against homosexuality, its patriarchal views, and for its calls for a return to biblical conservative family values and morals. Tamaki has also stated the COVID-19 pandemic is a sign the world has "strayed from God".[3] This, alongside many comments he has made, has made him a controversial figure in New Zealand.[4]

Tamaki's church and his political involvements have pushed a strong campaign that opposes COVID-19 vaccination, lockdowns and mask mandates since the pandemic began in New Zealand, and engaged in protests against mandates at Parliament, including the 2022 Wellington protest.[5] In 2022 Tamaki was briefly imprisoned for breaching bail conditions as he took part in an anti-mandate protest in Christchurch.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lineham was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Shaw, Richard (26 August 2022). "Refusing to rule out working with Brian Tamaki, Luxon gives NZ's populist right a 'sniff of credibility'". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Brian Tamaki's coronavirus comments slammed as 'dangerous' by Anglican vicar". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ "OPINION: Brian Tamaki can go to hell, but his followers can still be saved". Stuff. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Covid-19 Delta outbreak: Experts criticise Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki's vaccine claims". NZ Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki returns to social media after being released from prison". Newshub. Retrieved 18 February 2022.