Matua Kahurangi: One rule for hikoi, another for Brian Tamaki

You know what I find genuinely strange in this country? When the hikoi stormed across the Harbour Bridge to protest David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, there didn’t seem to be any consultation, any endless list of hoops to jump through, any talk of “strict criteria”. The organisers basically said, we’re marching across the bridge, the rest of you can get whūkd if you don’t like it. Just like magic, it happened. No bond demanded at the eleventh hour. No threats. No “very high threshold” rhetoric. No police spokesperson clutching their balls about public safety and risk to infrastructure. Just straight on, off you go, kia kaha, block SH1 if you must!

The second Brian Tamaki wants to march for Christian values, speak up about mass immigration, call out politicians whose morals he disagrees with, or put heat on the under-fire police hierarchy, suddenly NZTA has rediscovered its rulebook. Suddenly there’s a “very high threshold”. Suddenly the bond must be paid. Suddenly the council and police need to give permission. Suddenly the whole thing is too risky, too disruptive, too dangerous, too everything.

Brian Tamaki is waving the wrong flag. If he was waving a 

Māori flag he would have been kapai, bro.

It’s like watching a referee who pretends to be neutral while wearing the other team’s jersey.

I would put money on this: if a mosque wanted to organise a march across the Harbour Bridge on Auckland Anniversary Weekend, the green light would be flicked on faster than you can say halal bacon. No delays. No bureaucratic stonewalling. No eleventh-hour bond. No police warnings. Just kia ora, welcome, here’s the bridge, enjoy your walk.

Not sure what is going on in this country, but it feels like Christian = bad, and every imported religion under the sun = good. That’s the vibe. The media wonder why trust is in the wharepaku.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m no fan of blocking bridges. I’m no fan of anyone clogging State Highway 1. I’ll admit it openly, I’ve got road rage worse than most of the readers here. I can’t stand heavy traffic or Auckland drivers, probably why I don’t live up there. That and the fishing up north is far better. Yeah, but nah, that’s not the point.

The point is the double standard. The unmissable, glaring, slap-you-in-the-face double standard.

Brian Tamaki asks for a march. DENIED.
Brian Tamaki adjusts the plan. DENIED AGAIN.
Brian Tamaki hires professionals. STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
A hikoi wants to cross the bridge? Sweet as, cuzzie, go for gold.

It’s almost comical at this point. They will do absolutely everything they can to disrupt any protest organised by Brian Tamaki or Destiny Church. Whether you like him or not is irrelevant. The principle is the principle.

Maybe next time Destiny want to march across the Harbour Bridge, they should use a completely made-up group name like “Roopu Mahi o Tamaki Makaurau” (Auckland Action Group), say they’re protesting something vaguely anti-colonial, and boom - instant approval. Stamp of approval. Access granted. Bridge opened. Media cheering from the sidelines.

Then, once the fake group leads the way, the real crowd turns up behind them. Think of it as a modern-day Trojan Horse, only instead of warriors hiding in a giant wooden horse, it’s a bunch of Christians hiding behind a Māori-sounding protest collective. Ancient tactics from 194–1184 BC adapted to 2026 New Zealand.

It really shouldn’t be this complicated. Either everyone has the right to protest on the bridge, or no one does. I would prefer the latter. Either the rules apply equally, or what we’re looking at is political favouritism.

And right now, it’s very, very clear - some people get the bridge. Others get told to get whūkd.


Since writing the piece above, Brian Tamaki has now hit back, and he has come out swinging. In a fiery statement on X, he says the entire saga proves NZTA and Police have been playing politics from the start. “A PROTEST DOES NOT NEED A PERMIT. FULL STOP,” he wrote, doubling down on his claim that authorities tried to shut the march down before even following their own process.

Tamaki says NZTA were caught out after telling the Herald and Police the application had been declined before notifying Destiny themselves. Only then, after being exposed, did NZTA “crawl back” and give them until 10 December to “meet their criteria.” He argues the whole framing is wrong anyway, saying officials “are treating the crossing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge like it’s an event. But it’s not. It’s a protest.”

He also pointed to examples that many people already know about but are expected to ignore. The Toitū te Tiriti hikoi got “no permit, no Traffic Management Plan, no bond.” The Gaza protest was the same thing with “no hoops, no hurdles, no bureaucratic rigmarole.” Yet when Kiwi Patriots want to march, suddenly NZTA expects what Tamaki calls a “full corporate circus of approvals.”

According to him, the law is clear. “A protest does NOT require a permit,” he says. “We ARE marching across the bridge.” He also warns that if Police continue what he calls “double standards, political policing, and back-channel interference,” Destiny will end all further communication.

Whether people like him or not, the Battle for the Bridge has only intensified. And from the sound of it, Tamaki has no intention of stepping back.

Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced