Warning: This story contains material that may disturb some people.
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki claims God sent Cyclone Gabrielle to Aotearoa because of our "extreme" abortion laws, "queerest parliament" and Gisborne and Hastings' porn habits.
Cyclone Gabrielle has left nothing short of devastation for regions along the east coast of the North Island and its violent path claimed the lives of 11 people.
And while it's been widely accepted recent significant weather events are a direct result of climate change, the Destiny Church founder told his churchgoers last month God "can't take this any longer" and sent Cyclone Gabrielle to Aotearoa.
Tamaki said he watched Cyclone Gabrielle move and was wishing she would "go right, [and] hit the Aussies" but God had his eyes set on Aotearoa.
"He says 'I'm coming for you, I'm after New Zealand' because that's where the most extreme abortion, that's the abomination that's coming up into the air to God, that's the place that has the queerest parliament in the world," he said.
Tamaki continued his disinformation discussion with churchgoers, telling them "abortion has an effect on nature".
"How come we've seen an increase in, like, the mass shootings. I'm talking about all the lockdowns, how people were treated over the globe," he said.
"This is how God feels about it, not me."
He also said "gay pride" month was being celebrated "in the middle of people dying in the floods over here".
Tamaki continued with his raft of bizarre apparent causes for Cyclone Gabrielle, including pornography.
"I see the perversion that is linked to bad weather," he said.
"So I hopped on, I went inline [online]. And by the way I don't watch porn. But I went on there, [typed] 'Porn in New Zealand', and it gave me Pornhub."
"I was shocked by what I found. That city in there, Hastings and Gisborne, has the highest number of porn watchers in the country and it's one of the biggest averages per capita in the world... And they're the biggest watchers on the porn site of gay porn. I know! And I closed it and thought, I can't do this in church, I can't say this publicly."
But it seems he ignored this initial instinct.
"I thought, no, God said, you know, you know it, you've got it, the revelation, you've got to share it. [Otherwise] they will not see this, they won't connect the dots. You'll be mocked, they'll say you're a nutter, but don't worry it gets out and people can see the truth for themselves ... Please, stop watching porn, New Zealand. It's getting us in trouble."
Data from Pornhub in 2019 revealed Gisborne is the region that frequents the site the longest, closely followed by Tasman.
Hawke's Bay is fourth after Northland.
"Instead of doing his research on Pornhub, pitch in and help us."
Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz told Newshub her and other communities are suffering and Tamaki's baseless claims "are unhelpful, it is negative and also laughable".
"People have lost their lives and their livelihoods. We lost a loved community member."
She said every other community in Aotearoa has reached out in a positive way "trying to lift the spirits in our community, trying to support us".
"May I suggest, instead of doing his research on Pornhub, that like the rest of New Zealand, [he] pitch in and help us," she said.
"I'm more than happy to flick our mayoral relief fund number to him if he'd like to pitch in."
