Lifting The Lid On Cult Corruption

John Campbell’s Under His Command, a five-part TVNZ+ investigation series starting today, rips the veil off Destiny Church, exposing the rot festering under Brian Tamaki’s self-proclaimed apostolic throne. This isn’t just a church; it’s a fiefdom, built on fear, manipulation, and a trail of scandals that make your stomach churn. Campbell, with his trademark tenacity, dives into the heart of this cultish empire, and what he uncovers should have every New Zealander questioning how Tamaki’s operation has dodged accountability for so long.

Let’s start with the pedophile scandals. Destiny Church has been rocked by allegations of sexual abuse, with a disciple charged in 2024 for sexually assaulting teenagers in a South Auckland Destiny Church youth group. Tamaki’s response? Minimise and deflect, claiming he didn’t even know the guy, despite numerous photos showing him anointing and being friends with the accused.

The "church" banned the pedophile only after police got involved, and Tamaki had the gall to slam the cops for not acting fast enough. Multiple victims, years of alleged abuse, and yet Tamaki plays an innocent shepherd who knew nothing. Yeah right! This isn’t just negligence; it’s a pattern. Back in 2010, Tamaki’s “spiritual father,” US preacher Eddie Long, faced lawsuits for coercing teenage boys into sexual relationships. Tamaki called it “shocking” but stayed cozy with Long. Smells like a cover-up culture to me.


Today, 1 News reported:

John Campbell on Destiny Church: ‘I’ve never encountered so much fear’

Today John Campbell launches Under His Command, a five-part TVNZ+ investigation into Destiny Church and the women who live in its shadows.

For more than 25 years Destiny Church and its controversial leader Brian Tamaki have occupied a small, if loud, fundamentalist corner of New Zealand’s religious culture.

But recently, the church has made fresh headlines due to its active stance against the LGBTQI community, with members of its Man Up division (and other Destiny offshoots) targeting rainbow events and most notably storming the Drag Story Hour at a West Auckland public library in February, resulting in injuries to the public and seven Destiny arrests.

…

She also talked about Destiny’s use of haka against the LGBTQI community – and how utterly inappropriate it is to weaponise the haka in such a harmful way.

One former insider, the only man I spoke to, said “rage is Tamaki’s marketing tool”. I’ve watched hours of Brian Tamaki sermons – the incendiary tone, the homophobia, the transphobia, the xenophobia, it’s staggering and it’s not healthy, it’s not good for your heart to be assailed with that.

 

Then there’s the question of legality. Tamaki’s empire thrives on tax-exempt status, raking in tithes while he lives it large in a Drury mansion he conveniently doesn’t own. His Freedoms New Zealand political party and anti-vaxx crusades, including threats to blow up mobile vaccination clinics in 2021, and numerous threats and covert actions against the LGBTQ+ community, skirt the edges of incitement. Yet, despite arrests and bail breaches, he's never been truly held to account.

From dodging Covid protest charges in 2024 to getting off Scott free for getting people beaten up at children's reading events, Brian Tamaki appears to be performing miracles in avoiding accountability. How does a man who leads a religious cult linked to violent Pride protests keep slipping past the law? Is it charisma, connections, or just a system too timid to take on a gangster in bishop’s robes? Tamaki’s no pastor; he’s a thug in a suit, running Destiny like a mafia don. His Man Up crew, decked out in patches and roaring on motorbikes, looks more like a criminal gang rather than an actual ministry.

Campbell’s excellent series captures the fear insiders feel...testimony to Tamaki’s iron grip. He’s not just fleecing followers; he’s bullying them into submission, all while preaching “family values.” His rhetoric, like blaming cyclones on gay rights, fuels hate, yet he cloaks it in scripture. Campbell’s investigation is a wake-up call. Destiny Church isn’t a quirky outlier; it’s a dangerous disinformation machine profiting off misery. The real scandal? That Tamaki’s still preaching, still dodging, still inciting. When will the justice system stop letting this conman hide behind a cross?

Collins supports anti-vax protest

If you’ve kept an eye on the news recently, you've likely noticed the anti-vax, anti-lockdown and anti-Ardern protests occurring in New Zealand, a protest movement that has been gaining some momentum as the Covid-19 disinformation campaign ramps up and restrictions start to bite

But what you may not have noticed is that the current leader of the National Party, Judith Collins, yesterday came out in support of these illegal protests in what can only be described as another misstep that should ensure her political career is effectively over.

Not only did the current opposition leader travel to Auckland in solidarity with these deluded anti-vaccination crusaders, she also openly acknowledged the reason they were on the streets in a tweet that should only be considered as implicit support for their causes.

There’s a lot of frustration and anger in Auckland. From double vaccinated people who see no end in sight with 11 weeks of lockdown & a PM who would prefer Europe to Auckland.

— Judith Collins (@JudithCollinsMP) October 30, 2021

While most law-abiding citizens can understand why there are restrictions, namely to try and save lives by stopping the spread of the deadly Delta virus, Judith Collins and the National Party are actively undermining the good work lock-downs have thus far achieved.

In fact by siding with these anti-vax protesters who were chanting inane slogans such as ‘freedom’ and ‘Jacinda out’, Collins is putting her terribly partisan approach to politics ahead of the safety of the country.

However it’s little wonder Crusher has given her approval to these anti-vaccination and anti-government protesters, being that the main organiser is none other than Bishop Brian Tamaki.

Not content with again breaching his bail conditions, Tamaki and his wife Hannah have been actively organising anti-government protests and promoting online conspiracy theories to try and ensure the sacrifice the rest of the country has made is wasted.

Clearly a consequence of these protests will be an increase in Covid-19 case numbers, which is a sad indictment on just how selfish these people (including Groundswell organiser Scott Bright) actually are. But what is even worse is that the increase in case numbers will assuredly also be used by these idiots to once again try to undermine the government's Covid-19 health response.

But Brian and Hannah Tamaki aren’t the only ones the self-centered Collins is associated with who’ve got a vested interest in undermining New Zealand's substantial efforts to control the Delta outbreak.

Collins is also in regular contact with propagandists and dirty politics practitioner, Cameron Slater. This right-wing attack blogger, who lost his previous slanderous website through court action, has been running an extensive Covid-19 disinformation campaign against the government; a campaign that is undoubtedly endangering peoples lives.

In fact Slater, who is an ardent anti-vaxxer and Covid-19 conspiracy theorist, doesn’t even believe that the Covid-19 virus is deadly, even though it’s now killed more than five million people worldwide.

The problem for Collins and her minions, and ultimately the floundering National Party, is that most Kiwis agree that the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions are worthwhile. Kiwis in general support the way Jacinda Ardern has handled herself as the Prime Minister of New Zealand during the pandemic. In the face of considerable adversity, Ardern’s leadership has assuredly saved lives, which is a lot more than can be said for Judith Collins and the unhinged protesters she evidently supports.

Brian Tamaki - Arsehole of the Week

You may find it somewhat amusing to see Brian Tamaki arrested again for organising another Destiny Church protest. After all, his largely nonsensical argument against the Government’s Covid restrictions is one thing, but those tattooed on eyebrows are really something else.

However it’s no laughing matter. The self-proclaimed messiah is in fact endangering people’s lives by organising mass rallies right when the more deadly Delta strain is spreading throughout Auckland.

The Tamaki’s are essentially trying to convince people to become exposed to a deadly virus by telling their followers that the power of the lord will save them, which is incredibly wrong on many different levels, not least of all theologically.

On Wednesday, RNZ reported:

Brian Tamaki denies breaching level 3 rules at Auckland event

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has pleaded not guilty to breaching bail and lockdown rules governing mass gatherings

It is Mr Tamaki's second court appearance in relation to mass gatherings.

He was granted bail to appear before the Auckland District Court next year.

Judge Josephine Bouchier warned him if he was charged again, he "was in peril" of being remanded in custody.

Why Brian Tamaki was given another chance to breach his bail conditions is anyone’s guess, particularly because Hannah Tamaki spent the time her husband was in jail organising another protest outside the Police station.

The Tamaki’s even promoted it on social media showing that they clearly have no intention of adhering to the judge’s bail conditions.

In my opinion the judiciary really needs to start playing hardball with these cult leaders to ensure the publics safety.

There's no question that the Destiny Church protests are politically motivated. In fact some among the right-wing see the virus spreading as a way to undermine Jacinda Arderns popularity.

Brian and Hannah Tamaki are after all friends with Judith Collins, and much like Destiny Church's campaigning, the National Party leader has spent most of her time arguing against the Government’s worthwhile Covid restrictions.

It is somewhat ironic that these restrictions would have reduced cases, saved lives and allowed the economy to open up earlier if people, particularly those who listen to Judith Collins and the Tamaki’s, had actually adhered to them.

Brian Tamaki’s protests have assuredly caused the deadly virus to spread, which is why the deluded church leader wins this week’s Arsehole Award. His followers assaulting a peaceful protester outside of the Police station Brian was being held at was also uncalled for.

‘Freedom of speech’…Tamaki’s Blackshirt Gang violently attack & destroy sign they didn’t like yesterday at Henderson Police Station.
[for the record, it says “F**K Brian Tamaki, his prosperity, his doctrines and his creepy fake eyebrows. Let him rot in the cells!”] pic.twitter.com/eYjhYrWVCd

— DaveMac (@davemacpherson7) October 20, 2021

Now what is it that the Bible says about hurting others?

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Brownlee is a conspiracy theorist

Conspiracy theorist - Gerry Brownlee

What on earth is going on with the National Party? Now that Crusher Collins is in charge, it seems like it’s their policy to say really dumb things just to get attention. Unfortunately it’s working, with most of the mainstream media bending over backwards to provide Collins and her subordinates with the attention they clearly don’t deserve, right when we should be focusing instead on COVID-19.

Yesterday, the National Party’s deputy leader Gerry Brownlee insinuated that a conspiracy had occurred because the Government was asking people to prepare for a potential spread of COVID-19 in the community again. The public was encouraged to purchase masks prior to four new cases being discovered in Auckland, and Brownlee thought this was suspicious.

It’s the dumbest kind of campaigning, particularly because most people aren’t going to believe conspiracy theories when there’s absolutely no factual basis to support them. Coincidences occur all the time, and we should be grateful that the Government had the foresight to plan ahead for the potential of COVID-19 once again raising its ugly head in New Zealand.

Here’s the video where Brownlee attempts to besmirch the good character of the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield.

jfc at the "it's just an interesting series of facts" line pic.twitter.com/vl15YyjVZX

— Justin Hu (@justin_hu_) August 12, 2020

This actually says more about Brownlee than anyone else. Invariably one of our flaws as human beings is that we often judge others by our own standards. Gerry Brownlee must therefore have very low standards to accuse the Government of using COVID-19 cases for political gain. In fact what Brownlee is accusing other people of is likely what the National Party would be doing if we were unfortunate enough to still have them in Government.

But Brownlee isn’t the only problem here. By failing to censure her running mate, and in fact attempting to defend his remarkable stupidity, Judith Collins also appears to be relying on conspiracy theories and not facts in the campaign proper.

There is no question that the National Party should leave unfounded beliefs to the likes of the New Zealand Public Party, Vision NZ or the Conservative Party. Because there simply aren’t enough gullible Kiwis out there who will believe such far-fetched claims to make it worthwhile at the ballot box.

In fact the type of brain fart we just witnessed from Brownlee is likely to lose National support. And when you’re staring down the barrel of what is potentially your worst election defeat ever, painting a big target on your back as a conspiracy theorist definitely isn’t advised.

Hannah Tamaki can’t dance

I must say that it’s at loggerheads with the inclusive and free society we want to create in New Zealand that one of our largest media outlets, MediaWorks, would promote Hannah Tamaki and allow her to perform on their show, Dancing With The Stars.

Hannah Tamaki and her husband Brian are after all well-known bigoted evangelists who gained international media attention when they launched a hateful "They are not us" anti-Muslim campaign just after the Christchurch mosque massacre.

Brian and Hannah Tamaki - Cult leaders

There was always going to be a huge public outcry against her appearance, which was of course a not so subtle acceptance of the intolerance the Tamaki’s stand for.

Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:

Destiny Church's Hannah Tamaki axed from Dancing with the Stars 

Destiny Church's Hannah Tamaki will not appear on reality show Dancing with the Stars, MediaWorks has confirmed. 

"Our announcement for this year's Dancing with the Stars cast is scheduled for the end of March, however we are taking the unusual step to confirm Hannah Tamaki will not be part of that lineup," a MediaWorks spokesperson said. 

"It was originally planned for Hannah to take part in the show. We now recognise this was a mistake and we apologise. 

"We have seen a very strong reaction, some of which has been extreme and concerning and MediaWorks does not condone bullying. We would be failing in our duty of care to everyone if we continued as planned.

All the comments in my feeds have been entirely justified…so I’m really not sure why MediaWorks is blaming their decision to axe Hannah on bullying! Clearly people speaking out against a cult leader being normalised isn’t bullying!

You can bet your bottom dollar that the Tamaki’s would have used the platform and Hannah’s increased profile to further their religious and political goals. They would have surreptitiously used the increased attention to promote and peddle more hate speech against minorities in the hope of attracting support for their deluded causes.

There’s no question that cutting the blatant homophobe, Hannah Tamaki, from Dancing With The Stars was the right thing to do. Hopefully this is the start of other news outlets also deplatforming similar hate speech merchants as well, but I wouldn't hold my breath.