Self-styled religious leader Brian Tamaki has made false claims about India in a public call for a mass protest coinciding with Narendra Modi’s visit to Auckland next month.

In a Facebook post on June 4, 2026, the Destiny Church supremo claimed tens of thousands of Indians will gather in the city to welcome the Indian prime minster, and urged supporters to “take Auckland back” in response.

Tamaki linked the planned July 7 demonstration at Auckland’s Aotea Centre directly to Modi’s visit.

“If 20,000 Indians can Stand And Take Auckland.. Then 30,000 Kiwis should show to Fight For your Country and Children’s Future.”

His comments appear to reference events planned around Modi’s visit, including a community reception expected to attract large crowds from New Zealand’s Indian diaspora.

The Indian prime minister is expected to visit in the second week of July, though the exact date has yet to be announced. 

In his post on Thursday, Tamaki also suggested the protest would coincide with large numbers of Indians and anti-Modi demonstrators in the city, framing the visit as a flashpoint over immigration and national identity.

The post included claims that Christians in India cannot freely practise their faith and that Indian migrants are responsible for rising sexual offending in New Zealand.

“In Muslim Countries and India We cannot build Churches, Have a Bible, Preach or Pray,” he wrote.

India is home to at least 25 million Christians and Christianity is the country’s third-largest religion.

Churches, Christian schools and religious organisations operate openly across the country, and freedom of religion is protected under India's constitution. There is no nationwide ban on churches, or on those who practice any faith. 

In a judgment in March 2026, New Zealand's Immigration and Protection Tribunal rejected an asylum appeal from an Indian man who claimed he would be persecuted if he were to return because he had converted to Christianity.

The tribunal noted that reports by the US Department of State and Freedom House (Freedom in the World 2024 – India) refer to religious tensions in India. 

However, they do not mention any specific difficulties faced by Christians, except for a reference to the conflict in Manipur between the Hindu Meitei and the largely Christian Kuki communities that began in May 2023, which wasn't relevant to the applicant’s case.

In his post this week, Tamaki also claimed that “sexual violence and rape has escalated in New Zealand since the government has opened the flood gates to mass migration from India”; and that crime has increased as a result of Indian migrants “flooding into cities and towns across the country”.

He didn't provide any evidence for that claim. Police have no data attributing trends in sexual violence to any particular migrant or ethnic group.

Researchers and community advocates have long warned that attributing criminal behaviour to entire ethnic communities can contribute to racial stereotyping and social division.

Tamaki has called on supporters to attend what he described as a “Massive Anti-Mass Immigration HAKA” at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on July 7, urging people to take a “day off to save NZ” and positioning the protest as a response to immigration policy and demographic change.

Modi’s visit is expected to draw significant public attention, including community celebrations and political demonstrations. Tamaki’s comments are likely to intensify debate around immigration, race relations and the spread of misinformation during the high-profile visit.