The bridge might break, Brian Tamaki

OPINION: Here we are again with Brian Tamaki, the man who seems to think the Auckland Harbour Bridge is some giant red carpet laid out just for his latest performance.

Tamaki says his Destiny Church crew will march thousands strong across the iconic bridge on Saturday, Jan 31, in what he calls the Bridge to Better march, promising it will be “the biggest moment of 2026” and carrying “the future hopes of this country”.

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You can almost see him wearing a cape, pointing dramatically at the bridge like it’s some magical gateway to destiny. But let’s pause for a moment and imagine a slightly more grounded reality; what if the bridge, strained under the collective weight of the march, actually wobbled and cracked or broke. This is an actual stretch of critical infrastructure that engineers designed for cars, not for thousands of people in flip-flops and protest flags.

Image: Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) signage. The authority has refused permission for a proposed mass march across Auckland Harbour Bridge, citing safety concerns. (Supplied / Jordan Clarke / Quiet Pact Network)

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) clearly didn’t buy into Tamaki’s traffic management plan involving a supposed flock of thousands and was refused permission for the hikoi because the bridge is not meant to be a footpath to glory, and there’s genuine concerns about serious structural risk.

Safety concerns are real and the rules are real, whether Tamaki likes it or not.

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Of course, no rant about the bridge shenanigans would be complete without a look at a track record of financial discipline, or rather lack thereof.

Destiny Church and its associated entities have been at the centre of long-running tax and liquidation problems, with the Inland Revenue Department moving to liquidate trusts tied to the church after extended disputes over tax and compliance.

Image: Inland Revenue signage at one of its offices. Public attention focuses on reported tax disputes linked to Destiny Church and renewed controversy over plans for a mass march across Auckland Harbour Bridge. (Supplied / Alex Harper)

Publicly available news reports show millions in debts owing to IRD and other creditors while only pocket change is left in the bank. This is the equivalent of Tamaki crying “oppression” while the evil taxman stands by with an invoice. Meanwhile, there have been repeated failures by Destiny Church entities to file charity returns on time leading to deregistration and calls for the church to lose its charity status entirely.

This is a pretty serious level of reported debt that raises eyebrows about how responsibly Tamaki manages money that everyone else in society has to deal with every day while he wants to march over a bridge. For what, exactly?

Now let’s tie these two wild threads together. Tamaki wants a thrilling bridge crossing spectacle and on the other hand he has a financial history that looks like a planned clown show stuffed with debt obligations. That’s like hiring someone who keeps bouncing rent checks to lead a construction crew building a skyscraper, it certainly doesn’t make you think he’s got a handle on logistics or long-term planning.

If Tamaki is already struggling to keep his own accounts in order while the evil taxman stands by with an open hand, what makes him think he can orchestrate an event that involves thousands of people and a massive piece of transport infrastructure that Kiwis rely on to get to work or their whanau?

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Image: The Auckland Harbour Bridge spanning Waitematā Harbour. Authorities move to block a proposed mass march across the structure over safety concerns. (Shutterstock)

Here’s a hint, Tamaki: The Harbour Bridge is not your personal stage prop. Trying to force a march over it without permission is reckless and pretending that this circus is destiny doesn’t make it so; it makes you look like someone who hasn’t quite grasped that infrastructure and finances both follow rules that don’t bend just because a megaphone says so. If you can’t even keep the evil taxman happy, maybe it’s time to step back from breaking the steel beams and start straightening yourself out.

If that bridge ever did give way under the weight of an ill-fated protest, there’d be nothing divine about the aftermath, just an expensive lesson in hubris.

Video: Narrated by Samuel Hudson, the investigation reveals how conservative far-right soft-power networks and influencers are shaping public perception weaponizing language like “take back New Zealand” and invoking “war” to fuel division and incite hostility.

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