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.