By Laura McQuillan
The Destiny Church could receive millions of dollars in government funding for its proposed town in South Auckland.
The church has been granted Auckland Council approval for the project on a three-hectare property on Druces Road in Wiri.
It is set to include a church, primary and secondary schools, a gymnasium, childcare facility and a hairdressing salon.
The project is set to cost millions, and much of the funding will come from the church's congregation, but Destiny Church pastor Brian Tamaki told One News he believes the government should also cough up cash.
"I'd rather ... build bigger churches - they're far more positive than our prisons. That's where most of our whanau are," he says.
"They'd be better off giving me money to build their towns, instead of the stuff they're building out there and wasting money. They're building bigger prisons."
The project is set to be built in the same South Auckland suburb where the government plans to build the country's first prison run through a public-private partnership.
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples confirmed to One News he has had informal talks with Mr Tamaki about funding the project - and the government may contribute millions of dollars for its schools.
"You're talking about buildings and you're talking about salaries and you're talking about... an establishment grant, and an operations grant," Dr Sharples says.
"For a school alone, it's the full payout, if you like, that he'd be entitled to."
Destiny Church was yet to apply for any funding.
NZN