Counter-protesters set up in Newmarket, Auckland, ahead of a convoy led by Destiny Church's Brian Tamaki, 16 November, 2024. Photo: Jessica Hopkins / RNZ
There are long traffic delays on State Highway 1 heading into Auckland as a convoy led by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki makes its way from Mercer to the Domain.
The protest is being led by about 100 people on motorcycles, with others waving flags from accompanying vehicles.
The group says the flags are in opposition to "divisive" Māori sovereignty flags of the hīkoi making its way to Parliament.
Meanwhile, counter-protesters representing Maori sovereignty and the liberation of Palestine had erected banners on bridges along the route. Signs reading "end mass murder" and "stop the genocide" could be seen on the Market Road bridge.
A screenshot taken from Google Maps showing busy traffic on the Southern Motorway, 16 November, 2024. Photo: Google Maps
In a post on social media ahead of the event, Tamaki said the haka in Parliament made New Zealand the "mockery of the world".
Te Pāti Māori's Hauraki Waikato MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke on Thursday tore up a copy of the Treaty Principles Bill and launched into a haka, inspiring other opposition MPs and members of the public gallery to join in. Video of the incident went viral online and made headlines around the world.
Tamaki called it a "Māori meltdown", and in a video filmed from his house showed off a New Zealand flag affixed to the back of a motorcycle, saying all other flags should be "banned".
Counter-protesters set up in Newmarket, Auckland, ahead of a convoy led by Destiny Church's Brian Tamaki, 16 November, 2024. Photo: Jessica Hopkins / RNZ
Tamaki's rally was expected to reach the Auckland Domain by midday.
Make New Zealand Great Again protesters on State Highway 1, Auckland, 16 November 2024. Photo: Jessica Hopkins / RNZ
The controversial Destiny Church leader is facing charges alongside his wife, Hannah Tamaki, and two others for attending outdoor protests during the Level 3 lockdown in October and November of 2021.
In January 2022, Tamaki was arrested at his home in Auckland after allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He spent 10 days in jail before being released.
Tamaki ran for Parliament in 2023, his Freedom NZ umbrella party receiving 0.33 percent of the vote, putting them 11th.
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