Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has voiced his “unwavering support” for a man accused of vandalising the rainbow pedestrian crossing on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd.
Tamaki is set to address media outside the Auckland District Court at 8.30am on Monday morning alongside the “young man” who was arrested on Wednesday.
“He will speak openly about the importance of the political protests currently occurring across the nation, and Tamaki will reveal the connection he has with the accused,” a statement from Tamaki’s executive assistant read.
The 31-year-old man was arrested by police on Wednesday evening and has been charged.
“The young man has appointed me as his media spokesperson, due to the importance of this case,” Tamaki said.
“It is ridiculous that the police have threatened to treat this as a hate crime when they have shown no interest in treating the Te Papa Treaty defacing as a hate crime. There seems to be massive inconsistencies with how one protest is treated, compared to another. One law for some and another law for others, and I am prepared to call out the police’s hypocritical actions.”
A police statement after the overnight incident on March 28 said they were treating the vandalism as a “hate crime”.
Police said they were aware of the “hurt and confusion” from the community at what occurred and reassured they were committed to holding those involved to account.
“Police have no tolerance for reports of this nature, which appear to directly target a particular sector of our diverse community, and we are treating this as a hate crime,” Auckland City Central area commander Inspector Grant Tetzlaff said.
Tamaki earlier said he didn’t know if his members were involved.
In Sunday evening’s statement, Tamaki said many Kiwis were “concerned about the rainbow-washing taking place across this nation”.
“It has gone too far… this is only the beginning of additional actions we will take to stop this in its tracks.”
Following tomorrow’s media stand-up, the accused will proceed to his first court appearance scheduled after 9am.
The vandalism to the Karangahape Rd crossing came days after members of Destiny Church painted over the rainbow crossing on Gisborne’s main street. The group were protesting a Rainbow Storytime event at the local library, where drag queens read stories to children.
The Gisborne crossing had been repainted, with police expected to bill Destiny Church members for the work.
That led several protesters to return to the site, with Tamaki expressing his displeasure at the rainbow’s restoration.
Five protesters were arrested after attempts were made to paint slogans onto the repainted crossing.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick earlier said it was important to “find out what drives an allegedly grown man to get so upset about a rainbow flag”.
“The drive behind this sad and bizarre waste of energy that saw someone paint over a simple symbol of our rainbow community didn’t come from nowhere.
“This anger and bigotry wasn’t born on our shores, and it doesn’t belong here.
Swarbrick said she agreed with Auckland Pride’s call for a restorative justice approach for the person responsible.
“I hope, ultimately, the alleged perpetrator and others who hold these views come to realise that the rainbow community is in fact quite fabulous.”
Police said the investigation was ongoing.
“Police are also continuing to appeal for information from the public to identify three other people believed to be involved.
“At this stage, the vehicle of interest has also not yet been located and we are continuing to make enquiries.”
If you have information on the incident, contact police on the 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. Reference file number 240328/6111.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
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