Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has had multiple firearms seized from his Auckland property after armed police arrived to serve a temporary firearms licence suspension notice.
Tamaki posted a video of the encounter to Facebook, filming officers inside his garage as they inspected and catalogued weapons from his gun safe. The footage showed police removing several firearms, including scoped hunting rifles fitted with suppressors and what appeared to be a lever-action repeating rifle.
“They obviously think that I’m dangerous with it,” he said.
Tamaki claimed in the video that his gun licence had been revoked two days earlier, but said he had not been told about the decision.
“I had no notice that my licence was cancelled, so I could have used them when I was hunting I’d have been illegally.”
He described the police response as “over the top”.
“I’m a Kiwi, I’ve been here all my life, a hunter.”
Police confirmed officers attended an Auckland address to serve a temporary firearms licence suspension notice. Superintendent Shanan Gray said the notice was served on the firearms licence holder and the process took place without incident.
Police would not comment on the specifics of Tamaki’s case, but said temporary suspensions can be used while the firearms regulator carries out further inquiries into whether a licence holder remains fit and proper to possess firearms.
Tamaki suggested the seizure was linked to complaints from migrant communities and recent comments he made about immigration and religious groups. Earlier this month, he drew criticism after making inflammatory comments about Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in New Zealand, prompting police to say the material had been referred for legal assessment.
Past Brian Tamaki controversies
The latest incident adds to a long history of controversy surrounding Tamaki and Destiny Church.
Tamaki first became a major national flashpoint in 2004 when Destiny Church organised the “Enough is Enough” march to Parliament. The protest opposed the Civil Union Bill, the decriminalisation of sex work and other social reforms. Thousands of supporters marched in black shirts, and the event was widely criticised by opponents, particularly from LGBTQI+ communities.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamaki repeatedly clashed with authorities over lockdown and public health restrictions. He opposed limits on gatherings, was associated with anti-lockdown protests, and in 2022 was remanded in custody before later being released on a 24-hour home curfew after an appeal.
Destiny Church and Tamaki have also been involved in repeated controversies over rainbow events and LGBTQ+ visibility. In 2024, Destiny-linked protests targeted drag queen storytime events, and rainbow crossings in Gisborne and Auckland became the focus of vandalism and protest action. A Destiny Church member later pleaded guilty over the vandalism of Auckland’s Karangahape Road rainbow crossing and was ordered to pay repair costs.
More recently, Tamaki has drawn condemnation over comments about migrant and religious communities. In June, Ethnic Communities Minister Mark Mitchell accused him of deliberately targeting ethnic communities and described his conduct as the actions of a “scared bully”. Islamic community representatives also condemned the rhetoric, warning that language targeting religious minorities could contribute to dangerous conditions.
Tamaki has consistently defended his activism as political and religious expression, while critics argue his comments and protests have become increasingly divisive and harmful to social cohesion.
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