BRIAN TAMAKI'S politics have always been authoritarian, exclusionary and theatrical, but one dimension that has been almost entirely absent from media commentary is his explicit embrace of Zionism — not as a passing sympathy, but as a core ideological pillar woven into Destiny Church’s public identity. This omission matters. It obscures the international networks Tamaki has aligned himself with, the political project he is helping legitimise, and the way Zionist organisations in New Zealand have quietly welcomed his interventions.
Tamaki’s rhetoric on social media already shows how deeply he has absorbed a worldview built on religious supremacy and civilisational hierarchy. His call for New Zealand to “purge” Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims — a chilling statement by any standard — was framed as a defence of Christians supposedly persecuted under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. It's been a textbook example of how the far-right deploys selective outrage: weaponising the suffering of some to justify hatred against others.
Tamaki's support of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has been explicit. At the December 2023 pro-Israel rally outside Parliament, Tamaki declared that 'standing with Israel is right' and that history would vindicate those who supported the military campaign. This was not a vague gesture of solidarity. It was a full-throated endorsement of a barbaric military assault that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, and been described by international legal experts as genocidal. Tamaki attacked Green MPs for wearing keffiyeh in Parliament and condemned Te Pati Maori for calling for the Israeli ambassador’s expulsion — positions entirely consistent with the global Christian Zionist movement, which treats any criticism of Israel as a spiritual betrayal.
At that same rally, Tamaki went further, describing himself as a 'spiritual Jew'. Destiny Church pastor Nigel Woodley echoed the most extreme talking points of the Israeli far-right, insisting that Israel’s 'right to defend itself includes the right to wage war until there is an unconditional surrender.' This is not mainstream Christianity. It is Christian Zionism in its purest form: a political theology that sacralises state violence, erases Palestinian humanity, and treats war as a divine instrument.
The Israeli state has reciprocated this enthusiasm. In March last year, the Israeli ambassador met with Tamaki. And in October last year Israel’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sharren Haskel, met with Brian and Hannah Tamaki in Auckland. Both were remarkable gestures given Brian Tamaki's long record of inflammatory statements.
The Israeli media have also platformed Tamaki, presenting him as a representative of Maori support for Israel. One broadcast even showed Destiny Church members performing a haka before the host asked Tamaki how he decided that 'the Maori tribe' backed Israel. Tamaki boasted at the December 2023 rally that he was “a bit of a star over there.” In other words, he has been actively used by Israeli media to manufacture the appearance of indigenous endorsement for Israel’s military actions.
This is where the silence of New Zealand’s Zionist organisations becomes impossible to ignore. Juliet Moses and the New Zealand Jewish Council — a body that claims to speak for Jewish New Zealanders while operating without democratic elections — have had nothing to say about Tamaki’s calls to purge religious minorities or his extremist rhetoric. Their refusal to distance themselves from him is not accidental. Tamaki’s Christian Zionism serves their political interests: he mobilises large crowds, generates media attention, and reinforces the narrative that Israel enjoys broad support across New Zealand society. His presence at pro-Israel rallies gives the Zionist lobby a useful ally, even if his wider politics are repugnant.
The Act Party has also embraced him. Several Act MPs attended the December 2023 rally, including Simon Court, one of Parliament’s most aggressive defenders of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Court accepted Tamaki’s petition and told the crowd it was important to 'stand with Israel.' This convergence between Act, Destiny Church and the Zionist lobby is not ideological coincidence. It reflects a shared worldview: hostility to progressive movements, contempt for indigenous sovereignty, and unwavering support for Western military power.
What emerges from all this is a picture of Brian Tamaki not merely as a domestic demagogue, but as a local node in a global political project. His Zionism is not symbolic. It is a strategic alliance with a state engaged in mass violence, and with local organisations that have chosen to treat him as an asset rather than a liability. The media’s failure to name this alliance allows Tamaki to present himself as a defender of Christian values rather than what he is: a promoter of ethno-nationalist politics whose rhetoric mirrors the very extremism he claims to oppose.
New Zealanders deserve a clearer account of the forces shaping our political landscape. Tamaki’s Zionism is not a footnote. It is central to his public identity, central to his political relationships, and central to the role he now plays in legitimising Israel’s actions in Gaza. Ignoring it only strengthens the networks that benefit from his presence.
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