“This is New Zealand, not India,” read a black banner raised in the background as Destiny Church supporters performed a haka in South Auckland today, facing members of the Sikh community who were carrying out a Nagar Kirtan.
The procession, organised by the Sikh community in Auckland from the Nanaksar Sikh Temple, in Manurewa, located on Great South Road, included hundreds of participants walking about five kilometres.
The confrontation unfolded on Saturday afternoon, while the Sikh procession returned to the temple.
Footage shared on social media by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki showed members performing a haka on one side of the road, while participants of the Nagar Kirtan stood a few metres away.
“Today, True Patriots stood their ground in South Auckland. No violence. No riots. Just my young men performing a haka…face-to-face…to send a clear message: KEEP NZ, NZ,” the video caption read.
Destiny Church has previously staged similar protests in Auckland.
The most notable one was in June this year, when a march down Queen Street in central Auckland, named as "Faith, Flag and Family," targeted immigration and the spread of non-Christian religions in New Zealand.
During the rally in June, Tamaki and his supporters reportedly spoke against several communities in the country. Video footage from the event showed flags representing these communities being torn.
Explaining the religious parade today, Gurcharan Singh, trustee of the Nanaksar Sikh Temple, said, “We had permission from the Auckland Council to carry out the Kirtan.”
Sunny Singh, a participant in the Kirtan and an immigration adviser by profession, said some Destiny Church members appeared to be
waiting for the procession to conclude.
“We spotted some members who hid their flags and t-shirts, and I suspect that they were waiting for us to finish our peaceful procession and return to the main entrance of the temple. That is when they came to perform haka,” Singh said. He was serving pizzas, water, tea, and chabeel (a sweet, chilled, non-alcoholic drink traditionally distributed by Sikhs during summer during a religious gathering) when the incident unfolded.
Singh claimed the Nagar Kirtan participants refrained from engaging during the confrontation. “We remained calm and ensured that the situation did not escalate, as we were carrying the Guru Granth Sahib (the central holy scripture of Sikhism),” he added.
Eyewitnesses said the situation lasted about 30 minutes, during which police intervened to allow the parade to continue safely.
In a statement, police told The Indian Weekender that the incident took place around 2pm and, “a group of around 50 people blocked Great South Road, attempting to disrupt a scheduled public parade by members of the Auckland Sikh community," Inspector Matt Hoyes said.
“Police acted swiftly to ensure the parade was able to safely continue and additional officers were called in to escort the parade participants through the remainder of their route,” Inspector Hoyes added.
Officers remained in the area after the parade to provide reassurance to the local Sikh community.
Police emphasised that while they recognise the lawful right to protest, “however we will not tolerate actions that threaten public safety or intimidate others exercising their lawful rights."
Manurewa Local Board member and community leader Marshal
Walia said, “The biggest concern was the safety of the people and the second biggest concern was ‘why is it with them’?”
“Sikhs are one of the fastest-growing communities, and given the work we have done over the years, especially during COVID relief, the main concern was why them,” Walia added.
He noted the Sikh community has been part of New Zealand for many years and highlighted the country’s multicultural values.
“Everybody has a right to do what they want to do,” he said, but stressed it was important to prevent such disruptions in the future.
“Before we organise any religious parades, we should inform the Area Commander and provide details on why we are doing it and the context behind it,” Walia said, adding that this would ensure stronger police presence. He also supported providing prior notice to the wider community:
“We need to make sure the community is aware if we are organising a religious gathering.”
Eyewitnesses confirmed the Nagar Kirtan concluded peacefully after Destiny Church members were escorted from the area.
Destiny Church is a New Zealand-based Christian movement founded by Brian and Hannah Tamaki. Formed in 1998, Destiny Church was founded by Tamaki in a small garage in Auckland's Pakuranga. In the mid to late 2000s there were claims Destiny Church had close to 10,000 members and followers.
In a Facebook Live on 11 October 2024, Brian Tamaki described the immigration of Indians to New Zealand as an “invasion.”
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