Aotearoa Māori and community groups have condemned the public desecration of religious, cultural and rainbow flags by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki and his followers, calling it “a calculated media stunt” designed to incite hate and division.
Toitū Te Tiriti and Kaiāwhina Aotearoa, groups providing care and solidarity at protests in Tāmaki Makaurau, denounced the incident, saying Tamaki’s actions caused harm to communities across the country.
“This was not a protest. It was a calculated media stunt that caused harm to many communities across Aotearoa,” said Arama Rata, spokesperson for Kaiāwhina Aotearoa.
The incident occurred on Saturday, when Tamaki, a self-styled Christian evangelist and leader of Destiny Church, led a far-right anti-immigration march through Auckland’s Queen Street. Videos shared by Tamaki show members of his “Freedoms NZ” coalition performing haka and publicly tearing, burning and trampling flags representing Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Palestinian, Khalistani and Rainbow communities, while chanting anti-immigration and anti-multicultural slogans.
The misuse of haka at the protest was also condemned. “This action was not rooted in our tikanga,” said Eru Kapa-Kingi, spokesperson for Toitū Te Tiriti. “Haka should not be misused to disrespect and attack others — all peoples have mana and tapu.”
Kapa-Kingi added, “The leaders of Destiny should be ashamed in using whānau who are still finding themselves to push their own hate politics.”
Tamaki, who has a long history of anti-multicultural, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigration rhetoric, defended the flag desecrations as part of his campaign to make New Zealand a “Christian nation” and rid the country of “foreign gods.”
Ethnic, religious and LGBTQ+ groups have called for urgent action, warning that public acts of hate like this fuel a dangerous trajectory towards violence. “When communities are openly targeted in this way in our streets, it demands our immediate action,” Rata said, referencing the Royal Commission’s findings into the March 15 Christchurch terror attacks.
“We reject the actions of Destiny Church. They do not represent Māori,” Rata stated. “Brian Tamaki’s stated goal to rule New Zealand as the head of a Christian nationalist state is fundamentally opposed to our Māori liberation movement and should not be tolerated.”
The South Asian Advocacy Network echoed the condemnation, calling the protest “a deeply disturbing and deliberate act of incitement targeting Aotearoa’s multicultural communities.”
“This is not protest. This is not free speech. This is calculated hate, designed to provoke and intimidate. In tearing up the flags of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Palestine, Khalistan, and the Rainbow community — Tamaki is sending a clear message: people who are not white and Christian are not welcome here,” their statement said.
Community leaders have renewed calls for the government to strengthen hate speech laws, which have stalled in recent years. “This is not about free speech — this is deliberate incitement designed to marginalise and intimidate peaceful communities,” said Anjum Rahman of the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective.
Kapa-Kingi concluded with a message of solidarity: “To our whānau who are Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Palestinian, Rainbow and Takatāpui, we see you and commit to standing by you against violence.”
New Zealand authorities have not confirmed whether any legal action will be taken against Tamaki or protest participants.
