• Destiny Church is moving out of its three-hectare Wiri property at the end of 2025.
• The church says the lease expires on the property at the end of the year and is looking for new sites.
• The Brian Tamaki-led church first moved into the property in 2014.

Destiny Church confirms it is moving out of the three-hectare South Auckland premises by the end of the year.

The Church first moved into the Druces Rd property in Wiri in 2014.

It was built with the money raised from the sale of their original church and a $1000 tithe from Destiny Church members.

Now, the church plans to move out of the property when the lease expires in December.

A Destiny Church spokeswoman told the Herald staff were considering various sites, but had not chosen one yet.

“The [Wiri] property is being sold to new developers, and the building is old, so they are looking to redevelop the property,” she said.

“We have understood for a long time our lease would expire at the end of the year.”

The spokesperson said Destiny Church had a fantastic relationship with its current landlords.

“They have given us glowing references.”

Massey University Emeritus Professor Peter Lineham told 1News he was surprised Destiny Church was leaving its Wiri premises.

“There are so many aspects, a school, a health centre, a gym, there’s a lot of aspects in which it’s trying to serve an extraordinarily poor community. How’s it going to do that in another site?”

Lineham estimated the congregation had halved from its peak of about 2500 at standing room only services.

“Destiny places a big priority in high earning people... they must have lost significant income in the last few years,” he told 1News.

“I don’t wonder that they cannot afford to continue in the present location.”