Opinion: 'They are not us' - Really?

Hannah Tamaki says "they are not us" and parallel religions should not be tolerated in New Zealand.

I find it difficult to understand the logic of the Tamakis.

People of God, they also exude wealth and ego - not virtues that you generally associate with the humility of worship.

Brian and Hannah Tamaki have also gone into politics. Vision NZ.

This week, Mrs Tamaki issued a press release headed "They are not us".

Tamaki has criticised New Zealand First for not cutting migration enough and said her party would do so.

"I do not believe there is room in our society to allow for parallel cultures, faith or customs," she said.

"I promise to put Kiwis first and immediately stop the phony Indian marriage scheme before proceeding to bring an immediate stop to all further mosques, temples and other foreign buildings of worship being erected in our country."

From left, Mohinder Singh Nagra, Jagjiwan Singh, Pupinder Singh, Glenis Cooper, Gurmukhi Singh with plans for the new Gurdwara at the Richmond Road site, Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland

In Hawke's Bay, a group of Sikhs have just been given resource consent to build a new temple at Tomoana.

According to Tamaki, they should not be allowed to construct a place of worship, because "they are not us". And they are a "parallel" religion. No room for them in New Zealand, according to the Tamakis.

It is an extraordinary display of intolerance from Tamaki, given that the freedom to choose one's religious path is something that she and her husband have benefited from.

Without such tolerance, the Tamakis could never have embarked upon their own unique path, that has seen them establish a church and a political party.

At one time, they even wanted to create their own kingdom.

In 2006 Brian Tamaki said "We are ready to go where no man has gone before. Where no church has endeavoured to go before''.

It appears they weren't quite as ready as they made out. These were physical kingdoms, with angel wing statues outside places of worship, with schools etc.

No sign of them so far.

Sikh Society spokesman Jagjiwan Singh has suggested "We are one, this is just about ego.

"What does the bible say? Doesn't it say you should love each other, work hard, that when we die it is dust to dust?"

Perhaps it's not only a case of read the Bible.

Read the room. Better still, read the country, post March 15, 2019 and the Christchurch mosque shootings.

In my opinion "they are not us" is a narrow, outdated, intolerant view. But it is one that the Tamakis are entitled to.

Sikhs believe in karma.

In just over one year, on November 21 the general election will tell us how much appetite there is for the Tamakis' views in a rapidly evolving society.

And depending on your personal beliefs, it might even tell us a think or two about karma.