Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki to continue hunting despite police seizing firearms, suspending gun licence

Destiny Church’s Hannah Tamaki has vowed her husband will continue to hunt despite police suspending his gun licence and confiscating his weapons.

Leader Brian Tamaki was served a “temporary firearms licence suspension notice” by police and had several hunting weapons confiscated this morning.

The move comes after Brian Tamaki made a reference on a podcast to using a shotgun to protect his family, which preceded the police operation at his home.

In a video shared to Facebook this afternoon, Hannah Tamaki said it would not hinder Brian from being a “hunter and a gatherer”.

“We will go hunting with other people that have firearm licences ... So don’t think it’s going to hinder Brian from being a hunter and a gatherer; he totally will continue to do that because he’s good at it.”

She said she had tried to go live when police showed up at their gate this morning but had not been able to.

She said her friend had made a curry for them for dinner after their “busy day”.

“I’ve got to admit, I do love curry.

“We’re not against curry, we’re just against some of the other things.”

In a Facebook livestream, the controversial Christian leader filmed police at his home this morning confiscating several large weapons.

Brian Tamaki told the Herald he was speaking figuratively when he referenced using a shotgun to protect his family from immigrants.

He said he was a keen hunter and a responsible firearms user.

“The point here, and the struggle, is free speech.

“And I think right now, free speech in New Zealand is in danger, because if they get away with this then we no longer have free speech.

“Our politicians want to silence us, as the people, to make any comments about what they’re doing with a country like India, shaking hands with a country that’s abusing human rights.

“And I oppose that, just as I oppose the free trade agreement. We shouldn’t be doing it.”

It comes after Tamaki made incendiary social media comments earlier this month, accusing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of targeting Indian Christians with threats and violence.

“I think we should reciprocate in kind. Let’s purge New Zealand of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims,” Tamaki said.

“And, while we’re at it, if they’re burning churches down, why don’t we burn mosques and their temples down? Tit for tat.”

On Tamaki’s livestream this morning, he said the police actions were “all to do probably with the community that I’m saying have drenched the country and overflooded it”.

“They’ve complained to the police that probably I’m dangerous because of the threats they said about the mosques, the temples, which was never going to be happening.

“I wouldn’t burn their temples down, and neither would I do anything dangerous.”

On the livestream, police can be seen questioning Tamaki over the serial numbers of his firearms.

Tamaki, who has been a licensed gun owner for “over 30 years for hunting”, added “some people are upset, they think I’m dangerous”.

In a message to his critics, Tamaki said: “You can hate all you like, but I want to stand up and protect my country.”

Last week, Act MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar said she wrote to the Police Commissioner asking police to investigate whether Tamaki broke the law over his social media comments.

In a Facebook post, Parmar shared a response from Assistant Commissioner Tim Anderson dated June 25 saying “this matter is under investigation and being considered with legal advice”.

Parmar, the first Indian-born woman to be elected to New Zealand Parliament, said she believed Tamaki’s comments had “crossed the line”.

“Those comments, in my view, they incite crime,” Parmar told the Herald last week.

“He has definitely crossed the line because public safety for me is really important here.

“He always talks about Kiwi values, and it is quite actually hypocritical and ironic that he actually wants to import foreign problems to New Zealand.

“Because here we should never aspire to become a country where religious freedom is restricted and where places of worship are burned down because of their religion.

“These are not Kiwi values.”

‘Gutsful’: Fiery appearance on Newstalk ZB

Tamaki doubled down on his comments in a fiery appearance on Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive this afternoon.

Pressed on whether police had told him which specific comments had led to the seizure of his firearms, Tamaki said: “The cops didn’t have a problem with it; it’s the politicians”.

He claimed the move was driven by pressure from the Act Party and Indian and Muslim communities.

Tamaki denied his comments had incited violence.

“I gave an example figuratively because they are burning and doing that and with the child brides, you know, in New Zealand it’s just open slather,” he said.

He continued making similar claims before host du Plessis-Allan ended the interview, saying she’d had a “gutsful”.

Police confirmed to the Herald that Tamaki was served a “temporary firearms licence suspension notice” today.

“This notice was served on the firearms licence holder. This took place without incident,” Counties Manukau district commander Superintendent Shanan Gray said.

Gray declined to comment on Tamaki’s case.

“However, generally speaking this sort of action is not uncommon.

“A person’s licence can be temporarily suspended while the firearms regulator investigates further, to ensure the licence holder remains ‘fit and proper’ to possess a firearm.”