Destiny Church Disrupts Auckland Pride Events
In a distressing turn of events during the Pride and Rainbow Festival in Te Atatū, Auckland, a disruptive protest by a group associated with Destiny Church led to a tense situation where around 30 attendees, including young children and toddlers, had to be barricaded inside a library.
The protest occurred while drag king Hugo Grrrl‘s Rainbow Show was taking place, with the church members wearing “Man Up” t-shirts attempting to drown out the performance.
A parent who wished to remain anonymous described the harrowing scene to RNZ, stating, “It was scary and doors had to be locked.”
She recounted how children began to feel frightened as they heard yelling and banging on the doors.
“In the room were toddlers, there was like a three-month-old baby… we started to hear yelling and then this distant banging of the doors on the room that the performance was in,” she recalled.
Despite the chaos, Hugo continued the show until it became clear that the situation was escalating.
“I called the police from inside as did a couple of other parents. I really did feel like they were trying to get inside and it felt very violent,” the parent added.
Eventually, the police intervened, dispersing the protesters and ensuring the safety of those inside.
🚨 Inside todays violent protest committed by thugs from Destiny Church’s Man Up & Legacy groups who stormed the Te Atatu Peninsula Community Centre this afternoon in an unsuccessful bid to shut down a children’s show hosted by drag king artist Hugo Grrrl billed as a “musical,… pic.twitter.com/qhUaeGRIFJ
— Kelvin Morgan 🇳🇿 (@kelvin_morganNZ) February 15, 2025
Several hours later members of the same group turned up to the Auckland Rainbow parade.
The large group broke past police barricades and started performing the Haka to disrupt the event and intimidate attendees.
They were eventually moved on by police, allowing the event to continue.
Auckland Council’s Director for Community, Rachel Kelleher, expressed disappointment over the “non-peaceful” nature of the protest, stating that libraries and community spaces should be safe and inclusive for everyone.
She said, “Any actions that intimidate and threaten our community and staff will not be tolerated.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown echoed these sentiments, condemning the actions of Destiny Church as “totally unacceptable.”
He stressed the importance of respecting freedom of speech while asserting that intimidation and violence have no place in Auckland.
Brian Tamaki, the leader of Destiny Church, took to social media to justify the protest, stating he was “proud of my people” for confronting what he called the “woke agenda” in the city.
He described the drag event as an attempt to “seduce more kids into their queer lifestyle through their storytime events.”
In response, Te Atatū MP Phil Twyford reassured the public that most community members do not share Tamaki’s ideology, labelling the behaviour as “bullying and bigoted.”
The disruption at the library event coincides with multiple Pride festivities in Auckland, including the Rainbow Parade and the Big Gay Out.
Auckland Pride issued a statement on the incident, acknowledging the pain it caused but reaffirming the community’s resilience against hate and violence.
“While today has been a painful reminder of imported ideologies and the violence they bring, we remain confident in our community’s resilience,” they stated.
Young men in New Zealand are all done with the rainbow parades.pic.twitter.com/q3NG2uhUqV
— Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) February 15, 2025
