[10] Rising to prominence in the 2000s, Destiny Church sponsored a nationwide rally against civil unions,[11] attempted to build a commune,[12][13] and issued a DVD which labelled the Government of New Zealand as "evil".

He has been criticised for blaming the 2011 Christchurch earthquake on the "sexual perversion" of gay people,[24][25] and for holding a gathering of 700 men who swore a "covenant"[26] oath of allegiance, obedience, and deference to him.

[54] Historian Peter Lineham has compared Destiny Church's liturgy progression away from orthodox Christianity to the late 1920s Ratana movement's divergence and eventual excommunication.

We should never be confident that we know which side will win.Destiny Church has campaigned for a return to what it considers to be "Christian moral values" in New Zealand society, particularly for the "sanctity of marriage between a husband and wife".

In November 2023, Tamaki organised pro-Israel counter-protests in Brisbane including an "Anzacs" rally where 200 Destiny supporters performed a haka and controversial Jewish activist Avi Yemini gave a speech.

Destiny's socially conservative position on gay rights and women drew opposition from various sectors including Prime Minister Helen Clark.

In 2011, Destiny Church received funding from the Ministry of Social Development for four Community Max programmes to help 79 youths in Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty transition into full-time employment.

[71] In February 2019 Tamaki met with Minister of Justice Andrew Little to discuss giving Destiny Church's Man Up programme permission to participate in prison rehabilitation.

On 23 August 2004, Destiny Church organised a large public rally known as the "Enough is Enough" march in Wellington to oppose the Fifth Labour Government's proposed Civil Union Act.

The march generated considerable media and public attention with critics such as Labour MPs Georgina Beyer and David Benson-Pope likening the marchers to Nazis.

[75][76] Tamaki's remarks were condemned by several leading New Zealand public figures including the Mayor of Christchurch Bob Parker, Prime Minister John Key, and the Anglican bishop of Dunedin, Kelvin Wright.

In a June 2005 interview, Tamaki said Destiny was ready to wage war on "secular humanism, liberalism, relativism, pluralism", on "a Government gone evil", on the "modern-day witchcraft" of the media, and on the "radical homosexual agenda".

[85] On 29 August 2017, Destiny Church co-founder and senior pastor Hannah Tamaki attracted media attention for purchasing a new Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE63 S SUV worth NZ$207,900.

Mr Vrankovich shares his opinion in this quote: "I mean here you have a man who thinks he is a biblical character, in this case King David, and he's building himself an army of mighty men who will do want he wants.

Tamaki denied the existence of a "cult of personality", saying that he was simply setting a visible example for men to follow; and that the church helps a lot of people from difficult backgrounds.

The church later issued a response,[93] stating that "a number of comments made by the individual were grossly inaccurate", that the source was not credible, and the report reflected "poor practice".

[98][99] Fourteen years later in May 2024, The New Zealand Herald reported that a former Destiny Church youth group leader was the subject of a sexual abuse allegation involving a male teenager in November 2023.

The boy's mother alleged that her son suffered post-traumatic stress disorder following the abuse, manifesting in violent, volatile and suicidal behaviour.

[105] In late October 2019, the High Court restored the charitable status of Destiny International Trust and Te Hāhi o Ngā Mātāmua Holdings.

"[108] While Destiny Church held services on 22 March, it took precautionary steps including encouraging the sick and elderly to stay at home, having health checks, and separated 19 rooms into eight zones to manage crowd numbers.

[111][112] In early October 2021, The New Zealand Herald reported that Destiny Church had received a total of NZ$127,903.20 in wage subsidies including $91,384.80 for its 13 employees in Auckland and $36,518.40 for six in Hamilton.

Marshall also confirmed that Brian Tamaki regarded himself as the "founder and architect" of the movement but claimed that the Coalition's merchandising was separate from Destiny Church's finances.

[115] In addition, Stuff reported that Brian and Hannah Tamaki maintained links with Groundswell NZ's Pukekohe and Auckland coordinator Scott Bright, who donated vegetables to the TFRC and participated in an anti-lockdown protest in his personal capacity.

[116] In late November 2021, Radio New Zealand reported that Destiny Church had leased its carpark in Wiri, Auckland for the Whānau Ora Community Clinic's testing operations.

[119] On 26 March 2024, members of the local Destiny Church in Gisborne painted over a rainbow crossing to protest against Erika and Coco Flash's drag queen event at the town's library.

"[125] On 15 April 2024, Ford O'Connor, a member of Destiny Church who is married to Tamaki's granddaughter, pleaded guilty to vandalizing the Karangahape Road rainbow crossing in central Auckland on 28 March.

During the sentencing, Tamaki expressed support for O'Connor, saying that "he undertook a political protest against the excessive rainbow-washing that is occurring across New Zealand right now, at the expense of our taxpayers and our ratepayers.

"[126] In late April 2024, Rainbow Storytime NZ's founder Sunita Torrance cancelled a future nationwide tour to focus on a defamation case against Destiny Church.

In response, Destiny Church said it would continue to advocate for children's well-being and accused the New Zealand Herald of promoting crowdfunding for the drag performers' legal case.

On 6 May, he and Pastor Derek Tait led a protest by Destiny Church members against Te Tahi Youth health service in Christchurch, which helps transgender people access healthcare.