Brian Tamaki - Church and Politics

Church and Politics

In 2003 several members of the Destiny Church started the Destiny New Zealand political party, led by Richard Lewis. The party ran candidates in most electorates in the 2005 general election, but garnered less than 1 percent of the vote – well short of the 5 percent threshold required to enter Parliament without winning an electorate seat.

Destiny New Zealand was promoted by a nationwide tour and DVD labelled "A Nation Under Siege". Tamaki features in the DVD and accompanied the tour. The DVD shows Tamaki decrying what he sees as four problems with New Zealand society: "a Government gone evil, a radical homosexual agenda, the media: a modern day witchcraft" and "the retreat of religion in New Zealand".

In 2004, Tamaki predicted the Destiny Church would be "ruling the nation" before its tenth anniversary in 2008.

Destiny Church claimed a close relationship with New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, USA, the church of Bishop Eddie Long, until at least September 2010. In his autobiography Tamaki wrote a chapter titled "Spiritual Father – a long time coming", in which he described meeting "my spiritual father", Eddie Long, in 2002. In October 2003, Long travelled to New Zealand after Tamaki invited him to address Destiny Church members. Tamaki wrote, "... the ease of our connection and the confirmation of a date was entirely in line with Kingdom principle – when God speaks, do it". Long travelled to New Zealand again subsequently and Tamaki usually met him each year at church conferences.