Covid 19 lockdown protests: Brian Tamaki and Destiny Church co-defendants set down for two-week trial

Brian and Hannah Tamaki and three other Destiny Church members are set to go to trial, accused of violating Covid-19 lockdown rules last year. Photo / George Heard

A judge has set aside two weeks to hear evidence in the case against prominent lockdown protesters Brian and Hannah Tamaki and several members of their church.

However, when that two-week fixture will take place remains to be determined.

During a brief pre-trial hearing today in Auckland District Court, Judge Grant Fraser indicated a trial date will be determined in February. None of the five defendants were required to attend today's hearing, and they've been excused from attending the next one as well.

Brian Tamaki, founder of controversial Auckland-based Destiny Church, is accused of intentionally failing to comply with the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act, which could carry a penalty of up to six months imprisonment and a $4000 fine if he is convicted.

Police said he violated Covid-19 lockdown orders on multiple occasions last year by attending Auckland Domain rallies on October 2 and 16 and on November 20. He was also accused multiple times of violating his bail conditions by continuing to attend the rallies.

One alleged bail breach - his attendance at an anti-vaccine rally in Christchurch attended by more than 100 people - resulted in him spending over a week in jail last January before he was released on 24-hour curfew. His bail restrictions, however, have since loosened significantly as nationwide Covid-19 restrictions also lifted.

Hannah Tamaki, meanwhile, has been charged with attending the November 20 protest, during which she was filmed taking the stage to introduce her husband to the crowd.

Hannah Tamaki followed by husband Brian Tamaki leaves Auckland District Court at the conclusion of an April 2022 hearing. Photo / Dean Purcell

Co-defendant Paul Craig Thompson was arrested with Brian Tamaki after the first large lockdown protest at Auckland Domain on October 2, which was estimated to have been attended by about 2000 people. Under alert level 3 restrictions at the time, most non-essential gatherings that involved the mixing of bubbles were banned. Weddings and funerals were exceptions to the rule, but for groups of no more than 10 people.

Thompson was charged again with violating lockdown rules after allegedly attending a follow-up protest at Auckland Domain on October 30 that had an estimated attendance of 5000 people.

Jennifer Louise Marshall, who is Destiny Church's director of operations and Brian Tamaki's assistant, is accused of attending Auckland Domain protests on October 2 and October 16. And Kaleb Cave is charged with organising or attending protests on October 2, 16 and 30.

Cave, who served as an MC during some of the protests, is a worship leader at Destiny Church under the organisation's Sound of Destiny music ministry.