Bishop Tamaki attracted controversy when he blamed the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes on sinful behavior such as murder and homosexuality during a sermon on 16 November 2016 . These statements preceded the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake by a few hours . 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 . One Auckland-based critic Aaron Smithson also organized a Change.org petition calling for the revocation of Destiny Church 's tax-free status
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
Destiny Church (New Zealand)