Sikh rituals disrupted in New Zealand: Sukhbir Badal urges government intervention

Key Highlights

• HAKA PERFORMED DURING SIKH NAGAR KIRTANBadal’s remarks came after members of True Patriots of NZ, a group linked to Destiny Church, performed a haka during the annual Sikh Nagar Kirtan in Tauranga, held to mark the birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
• The procession began at the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat in Tauranga after the Bhog of an Akhand Path and moved through parts of the city amid police deployment. During the event, members of the group were seen linking arms and chanting while displaying a banner reading “This is New Zealand not India.” A video of the haka was later shared on social media by Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki, who described the act as “peaceful defiance” and used slogans such as “Whose streets?
• Kiwi streets.”Organisers of the Nagar Kirtan said the haka was performed at some distance from the main procession and that the religious event continued thereafter. SECOND SUCH INCIDENT WITHIN A MONTHThe Tauranga episode followed a similar incident in December in South Auckland, after which Badal had also taken to X to condemn the disruption and flag concerns over Sikh religious freedom.
• In that incident, members of True Patriots of NZ blocked a road during a Nagar Kirtan organised by the Sikh community at the Nanaksar Sikh Temple in Manurewa. The procession involved hundreds of participants walking several kilometres along Great South Road.
• Videos shared on social media showed members of the group performing a haka on one side of the road while Nagar Kirtan participants stood nearby, prompting police intervention to allow the procession to continue. According to its social media pages, True Patriots of NZ describes itself as a group opposed to mass immigration and globalism and claims to be defending what it calls the “Kiwi way of life.”- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Jan 11, 2026Must Watch Watch Live TV.