Bryce Edwards: Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church party is nothing more than pantomime

Far too much attention is paid to the endless political pronouncements and activities of Brian Tamaki and his Destiny Church. Last week the Bishop dominated a lot of political coverage and debate with his protest at Parliament and the announcement of yet another political party – Freedom NZ.

There is a tendency to take Tamaki and his church at face value. He and his followers are constantly painted as a bona fide threat to the established political order. The reality is nothing Tamaki does or says is particularly worth taking seriously. This is because he and his church are not the serious political movement they pretend to be. Instead, everything that they do is a charade.