Media reports that New Zealand's most polarising, homophobic church pastor, Brian Tamaki, will be a keynote speaker at an official church service at Waitangi this Sunday have come as a complete surprise to organisers and officials, who say they've heard nothing about it. A press release from the Destiny Church yesterday said that Pastor Brian Tamaki “will be a keynote speaker at the Waitangi Day church service on Sunday”, alongside representatives from the Ratana Church. It also claimed Tamaki was to be accompanied by a 200-strong contingent of the Destiny Church Kapa Haka team, who stormed through the streets of Wellington in black shirts last August in a protest against the Civil Union Bill. In an interview on National Radio this morning, Tamaki repeated the claims, along with confirming reports that the Church's political wing Destiny New Zealand will be joining other political leaders at Waitangi. However, the Waitangi National Trust say they know nothing about it. “There are no arrangements in place at Waitangi for any presence of the Destiny Church,” media spokesman Michael Hooper told GayNZ.com. “The church service is on the grounds of Waitangi, but Waitangi certainly has no plans to host any members of the Destiny Church.” One of the key organisers of the official church service itself confirmed that while Ratana Church members will be present, neither Tamaki or Destiny were on the official programme as speaking at all, let alone in a keynote capacity. Anglicans and Methodists were the only other Christian denominations being represented at the service.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 3rd February 2005 - 12:00pm