Church Members Stop NZ 'Nagar Kirtan,' Politicians Support Sikhs

On 20 Dec, in a suburb in South Auckland Manurewa, New Zealand (NZ), a group of protestors linked to 'Apostle Bishop' Brian Tamaki, who heads the Pentecostal Christian organization the Destiny Church, confronted the Sikh Nagar Kirtan (religious procession). Though there was no direct confrontation, the standoff continued for a while. Police stood between the two sides. The video footage shows the protestors raising slogans 'One True God', 'Jesus-Jesus', and performing the Haka (traditional Maori dance) while the participants in the Sikh procession watched passively. Tamaki posted: 'Since when is it acceptable to parade bladed weapons on our streets? That is not normal in New Zealand. The Haka is not hate. It's a line in the sand. It's a challenge. New Zealand is a Christian nation! Our God is Jesus Christ. One nation. One people. One law. One vote. One flag, under one God. Kiwis will not be silent while foreign religions flood in. We will stand, peacefully, proudly, unapologetically, for our land, for our faith, and our Kiwi way of life.' He mistakenly refers to the xanthian Sikh Nishan Sahib (flag) as a Khalistan flag and that NZ is a Christian nation. Former NZ Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi said, 'This was not a protest but a provocation. When True Patriots claim to ‘keep NZ, NZ,' they are not defending any authentic tradition. They are inventing a monocultural fantasy that never existed. Pre-colonial Maori society was diverse and interconnected. Maori, Pakeha, Pasifika, Asian, and European communities have built post-colonial New Zealand. Our identity is not a static photograph; it is a moving picture, constantly redefined by those who choose to make a life here…Why did the True Patriots not protest when the Indians and Sikhs, in particular, distributed thousands of food parcels during the COVID lockdown without any discrimination of religion or ethnicity?’ Many current MPs in the NZ government have also supported the Sikhs. Concurrently, one of those who stopped the Bondi beach shooters on 14 Dec in Australia Amandeep Singh Bola is also a Sikh from NZ, settled in the NZ for four generations (earlier coverage).