Editing Brian Tamaki (section)

== Church and politics ==
[[File:Bishop-Tamaki-Auckland-2006.jpg|thumb|Tamaki preaching at a Destiny Church conference October 2006]]
In 2004, Tamaki predicted the Destiny Church would be "ruling the nation" before its tenth anniversary in 2008.<ref name="TVNZ_451171">{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/451171?format=html |title=Is Destiny destined to rule? |date=3 October 2004 |work=[[Television New Zealand]] |access-date=22 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614123253/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story_skin/451171?format=html |archive-date=14 June 2011  }}</ref> A year earlier, in 2003, several members of the Destiny Church started the [[Destiny New Zealand]] political party, led by [[Richard Lewis (New Zealand politician)|Richard Lewis]].  The party fielded 42 candidates in the [[2005 New Zealand general election|2005 general election]], but garnered 0.6 per cent of the vote, short of the 5 per cent threshold required to enter Parliament without winning an electorate seat. None of its candidates came close to being elected.<ref>
{{cite web| first = Chief Electoral Office |last=New Zealand Ministry of Justice  | title =Official Count Results – Overall Status  | publisher = NZ Govt | url =http://2005.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html  | access-date =11 May 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070429020140/http://2005.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 29 April 2007}}</ref>

Destiny New Zealand was promoted by a nationwide tour and [[DVD]] labelled "A Nation Under Siege". Tamaki features in the DVD and accompanied the tour. The DVD shows Tamaki decrying what he sees as four problems with New Zealand society: "a Government gone evil, a radical [[homosexual agenda]], the media: a modern day witchcraft" and "the retreat of religion in New Zealand".

In his autobiography Tamaki wrote a chapter titled "Spiritual Father – a long time coming", in which he described meeting "my spiritual father", Eddie Long, in 2002. In October 2003, Long visited New Zealand after Tamaki invited him to address Destiny Church members. Tamaki wrote, "the ease of our connection and the confirmation of a date was entirely in line with Kingdom principle – when God speaks, do it".<ref>{{cite news |title=Tamaki link to US sex-case bishop |first=Vaimoana |last=Tapaleao |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10675732 |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=24 September 2010 |access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref> Long travelled to New Zealand again subsequently and Tamaki usually met him each year at church conferences.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sex claim against mate stuns Bishop Tamaki |first=James |last=Ihaka |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10675956 |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=25 September 2010 |access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref>

On 23 May 2019 Tamaki launched a new political party, [[Coalition New Zealand]], led by his wife Hannah Tamaki. Coalition New Zealand would not be an explicitly Christian party but would oppose [[abortion]] and [[homosexuality]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Earley |first1=Melanie |title=Destiny Church launches political party, promising 'politics with teeth |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112938679/destiny-church-launches-political-party-promising-politics-with-teeth |access-date=29 May 2019 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |date=23 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Henry |first1=Dubby |title=Destiny Church's Hannah Tamaki to lead new party 'Coalition New Zealand' |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12233714 |access-date=29 May 2019 |newspaper=[[New Zealand Herald]] |date=23 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ensor |first1=Jamie |last2=Bracewall-Worrall |first2=Anna |title=Hannah Tamaki to lead new political party Coalition New Zealand |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/brian-and-hannah-tamaki-to-lead-new-destiny-church-political-party.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523031140/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/brian-and-hannah-tamaki-to-lead-new-destiny-church-political-party.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 May 2019 |access-date=29 May 2019 |publisher=[[Newshub]] |date=23 May 2019}}</ref> The name of the party was deemed potentially misleading by the [[Electoral Commission (New Zealand)|Electoral Commission]] and was subsequently renamed to [[Vision New Zealand]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www-fusion.nzherald.co.nz/nz/destiny-churchs-hannah-tamaki-registers-new-political-party-name-vision-nz/HAEJB2C3E5CM3T7OQKTZLBVGD4/|title=Destiny Church's Hannah Tamaki registers new political party name Vision NZ|last=Walls|first=Jason|date=2 October 2019|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=29 September 2023|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309035833/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12272816|archive-date=9 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 23 August 2022 Tamaki launched [[Freedoms New Zealand]], a new umbrella political party which includes the [[New Nation Party]], [[Vision New Zealand]], and the [[NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party]].<ref name="RNZ 23 Aug 2022">{{cite news |title=Large police presence in capital as anti-government protesters gather at Parliament |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/473306/large-police-presence-in-capital-as-anti-government-protesters-gather-at-parliament |access-date=24 August 2022 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=23 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823060022/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/473306/large-police-presence-in-capital-as-anti-government-protesters-gather-at-parliament|archive-date=23 August 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Newshub 23 Aug 2022">{{cite news |last1=Quinlivan |first1=Mark |last2=Iasona |first2=Seni |title=Anti-Government protest ends peacefully, handful of protesters remain |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/08/wellington-braces-for-impact-as-hundreds-of-anti-government-protests-gather-around-capital.html |access-date=24 August 2022 |work=[[Newshub]] |date=23 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824010429/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/08/wellington-braces-for-impact-as-hundreds-of-anti-government-protests-gather-around-capital.html|archive-date=24 August 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 13 May 2023, Tamaki announced that he would contest the [[2023 New Zealand general election]] as the leader of Freedoms New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brian Tamaki to run for Parliament as Freedom NZ leader |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/489821/brian-tamaki-to-run-for-parliament-as-freedom-nz-leader |access-date=29 September 2023 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=13 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524124823/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/489821/brian-tamaki-to-run-for-parliament-as-freedom-nz-leader |archive-date=24 May 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the 2023 general election held on 14 October, Freedoms NZ failed to get into Parliament, attracting only 9,586 votes (0.33%).<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 General Election – Official Result |url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/index.html |publisher=[[Electoral Commission (New Zealand)|Electoral Commission]] |access-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104213043/https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/index.html |archive-date=4 November 2023 |date=3 November 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the release of preliminary results, Tamaki defended the anti-abortion stance of the unsuccessful National Party candidate [[Simon O'Connor]], describing [[Christianity in New Zealand|New Zealand Christians]] as "gutless."<ref name="Newshub 15 Oct 2023">{{cite news |title=Liz Gunn cries, Brian Tamaki rages at 'gutless Kiwis' after losses |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/10/election-2023-liz-gunn-cries-brian-tamaki-rages-at-gutless-kiwis-after-losses.html |access-date=25 October 2023 |work=[[Newshub]] |date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019141644/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/10/election-2023-liz-gunn-cries-brian-tamaki-rages-at-gutless-kiwis-after-losses.html |archive-date=19 October 2023}}</ref>