A woman whose two relatives were sexually abused by a former Destiny Church youth group leader has accused the organisation of targeting vulnerable families, saying she believes the church operates like a cult.
According to a New Zealand Herald report, the woman, identified as Brook* to protect her identity, said church members often referred to leader Brian Tamaki as “spiritual father” and his wife, Hannah, as “spiritual mother” at Destiny-aligned youth group meetings and church services.
Brook’s two relatives eventually left home and moved into a house shared by youth leader Kiwa Hemi Tamati Edward Hamiora-Te Hira and his mother. They, along with other young victims, were repeatedly abused over a period of more than five years, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Hamiora-Te Hira abused six young males hundreds of times. He met his victims through his leadership role in Destiny Church’s Boys2Men youth group and was sentenced to more than six years in prison in March 2025.
A summary of facts stated that he would invite boys to his home, often after Boys2Men or Youth Vision meetings organised through Destiny Church, and “held himself out as a father figure” to his young victims.
Brook went to police in November 2023 after one of her relatives disclosed the abuse. In May 2024, before Hamiora-Te Hira was charged, she spoke anonymously to the Herald about the ordeal her family had experienced, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
Speaking in a recent interview, Brook said she struggled to protect her relatives and help them leave the church after the abuse came to light. She also alleged that she faced confrontation from another Destiny leader following media coverage of the case.
“He basically said, ‘It was you’,” she recalled of a heated conversation, adding that church members suspected she had spoken publicly about the allegations, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Brook said the situation left her “highly alert and vigilant” because she believed the church hierarchy thought she had betrayed its members by speaking out.
Asked whether she had felt unsafe, she said: “I was more concerned for my family members than for myself. I was more concerned about them getting hurt in an emotional or spiritual way”, the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
Brook had already left Destiny Church before learning about Hamiora-Te Hira’s crimes. She said concerns about what she viewed as a controlling, male-dominated culture and the emphasis on devotion to Brian Tamaki had contributed to her decision.
She also felt that women and mothers were marginalised, while parents were pushed aside as their children became increasingly devoted to church leaders.
“My relatives started calling them father and mother, and I didn’t like that.
“I couldn’t pull them back by that stage,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Brook alleged that the church’s influence created distance between her family members and their relatives.
The church was “pushing us away [as family members] and giving them the right to speak over my relatives”, the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
She said one relative eventually chose to leave Destiny, while the other initially refused, creating further divisions within an already fractured family.
“It was too late. I couldn’t get him back because whatever I said about Hannah and Brian, it intensified the situation. It made it worse,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
Brook said the family had since severed its ties with Destiny Church, and both relatives had found employment and a renewed sense of purpose.
“They’re both in a better place with better people around them.”
Reflecting on her experience, Brook said she now considered Destiny Church a cult. She claimed the organisation placed significant emphasis on rehabilitating men from violent backgrounds, drug abuse and previous imprisonment, with a focus on the message that “we must build up the man”, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
However, she felt the role of women within families was not given sufficient recognition. She also described feeling devalued and silenced as she tried to support her relatives and deal with the consequences of the abuse.
Brook is now receiving counselling to work through her own trauma. She has also attended a support group for people leaving cults, where she met former members of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a secretive Chinese sect and a speaker from Waco, Texas.
Although she said she was gradually finding peace, she acknowledged that difficult emotions remained.
“I don’t mean I don’t have any hate”.
She said returning to the church was not an option for her.
“I could never walk back into Destiny Church. That just can’t happen.
“I feel for my family members because there’s always going to be a connection because they still have friends. But it’s not a safe church if you are vulnerable”, the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
Brook is due to speak at a conference focused on cult awareness, where she plans to share her experience and encourage others to carefully research religious organisations before placing young people in their care.
She urged families to “do your homework” before entrusting young people to fringe religious groups, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
Destiny Church did not respond to requests for comment.
*Name changed to protect identities.
SEXUAL HARM
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If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
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