Election 2023: Brian Tamaki ‘disruption’ campaign: Church and political leader wants to break Parliament apart

Brian Tamaki says God has given him a vision of how he should run a “disrupt” campaign that aims to “break apart” Parliament and its “lying politicians”.

Tamaki - a church leader turned co-founder of the new Freedoms New Zealand political party - also told followers Act Party leader David Seymour will be the campaign’s next target, raising fears among some that the new party plans to subvert democratic norms in the run up to October’s election.

Yesterday, one of Freedoms NZ’s election candidates climbed on to a 2m-high fence to interrupt Opposition leader Chris Luxon’s press conference.

Luxon asked the Freedoms NZ candidate to “be respectful” and talk once the presser had finished.

But when the candidate continued calling out questions, Luxon shut the presser down and restarted it elsewhere where he could talk freely.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins condemned the interruption as an “anti-democratic” stunt that aimed to grab publicity by drowning out the “voice of others” and giving the public less chance to hear from politicians ahead of the election.

But Tamaki told church followers during a recent sermon that Freedoms NZ was exercising its “right to protest and speak publicly”.

He said he’s “had insight from the spirit world” for his campaign and now tipped more of his party members will “pop up” unannounced.

“This could spread right across, down the south and everywhere,” Tamaki said, before referencing Act leader Seymour.

“You’re next David, you’re another one that hides the truth.”

Yesterday’s interruption comes as the Government’s latest Budget allocated more money to beef up security for members of Parliament at their homes, offices and at Parliament.

Politicians say they are increasingly being confronted by abusive and threatening protesters, warning New Zealand could experience a growth in divisive and polarising politics of the type more commonly associated with the United States and which are a danger to democracy.

‘Break apart Parliament’

Freedoms NZ co-leader Brian Tamaki said he expects more of his party members to be disruptive. Photo / George Heard

Tamaki told followers during a sermon to Destiny Church followers posted on social media yesterday that he wanted to break the country’s political institutions apart.

He said his comments were in response to accusations by other politicians that his team wanted to be disruptive.

That had led him to look up the Latin origins of the English word disruption, where he found it meant to “break apart”.

“I love this word disruption, to break apart - break apart this hold they have on our Parliament where the people cannot get their voice in,” he told church followers.

“Break apart that Parliament, break apart the lying politicians, break apart the dominant party spirit that does not allow the people to have a voice or access to their own Parliament.”

The church also posted a Facebook poster of Freedoms NZ candidate Karl Mokaraka interrupting Luxon during yesterday’s press conference with the headline: “Be a weapon of mass disruption”.

But rather than being negative, this should be viewed as a positive, Tamaki said.

Disruption can be “something that begins to create something better than what was there before”, he said.

When asked by the Herald whether those who agreed with Tamaki’s message were within their rights to take violent steps to break apart current politics, Tamaki insisted violence is not acceptable.

He said everything should be done peacefully: “Break apart means to challenge by valid and lawful means.”

Tamaki also said Mokaraka’s interruption of Luxon’s press conference yesterday was not pre-planned.

But after hearing about it, Tamaki said it had been “brilliant”.

He now expected more of his party members would “pop up” unannounced.

Luxon had been taking questions from reporters yesterday when Mokaraka climbed a fence directly behind the National leader’s campaign poster and began an unceasing flow of questions and commentary.

“You’re saying you’re the better of the two Chrises - will the real Mr Chris Luxon please stand up,” Mokaraka said.

Luxon responded: “Oh you’re a funny guy, mate, you’re a real funny guy. You’re no Slim Shady, buddy.

“Why don’t we come and chat to you afterwards, if you want to be respectful,” Luxon said.

‘We need to maintain civility’

National leader Christopher Luxon and Freedoms NZ's Karl Mokaraka exchange jibes. Photo / Dean Purcell

Finance Minister Grant Robertson last year said MPs were getting more threats and abuse while out in public.

“We are heading into an election campaign that will be undertaken in an atmosphere that is different from the ones I’ve done before,” Robertson said in September 2022.

He pointed to a July 2021 incident in Whangārei in which he left by the back door of a venue to avoid about a dozen anti-mandate protesters, and those opposing the closure of the Marsden Pt oil refinery blocked the way to his car, with one holding a lamington cake she said she wanted to throw in his face.

In May last year, Luxon was also kept inside a venue in Palmerston North until police arrived.

He later said one of New Zealand’s greatest strengths was that the public could easily talk to and approach politicians and that care was needed to preserve that.

“We can disagree without being disagreeable, but we need to maintain civility because once you have division in a country, it’s very hard to zip it back up together again,” he said last September.