Years of silence broken as decade of abuse investigations at Gloriavale uncovered more than 80 victims
One complaint from a former Gloriavale member a decade ago triggered a criminal justice process that exposed 22 offenders and more than 80 victims. The woman who started it all has no regrets, despite not feeling any sense of justice in her case. JOANNE NAISH reports.
For the first time in almost a decade, the Gloriavale Christian Community does not have any of its members before the criminal courts.
Since 2017, 22 residents of the reclusive religious community on the West Coast, all men, have passed through the criminal justice system on an array of sexual and violence offences. Their cases involved at least 80 victims.
Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian, was jailed for sexual offending in the 1990s, but the community otherwise enjoyed decades of little attention from authorities.
That changed in 2015, when 22-year-old Julia Benjamin appeared on Campbell Live and described how she had a ‘wrong’ relationship with a married man 10 years older than her. She was 12 or 13 years old at the time.
Only when the show’s producers expressed concern about her experience did she consider contacting police.
“We were brought up to obey men and cover yourself and don’t tempt men,” Benjamin told The Press. “So if you are attacked, it’s because it’s your fault. I didn’t know what consent was.”
By the time she first spoke out, Benjamin had escaped Gloriavale. As she and other leavers publicly aired allegations of sexual and physical abuse, forced marriage, forced separation of families and a controlling environment, the Department of Internal Affairs moved to investigate the community’s charitable status.
That took two years. By the end, the community was allowed to keep its charitable status, but five of the women interviewed had alleged they were victims of sex crimes and the matters were referred to police. Charities Services recommended the community improve its child protection policy, but three years later raised further concerns with police that the community was still giving abusers chances to offend.
Leavers speak up
When Gloriavale leaders learned of predatory behaviour, their policy was not to go to police. They would hold meetings, or send the offenders to a hut for a few weeks to repent. The men were given several chances and it was expected their victims would forgive them.
Meanwhile, more leavers were making statements to police with allegations: the father whose 9-year-old daughter was kissed by her teacher; the man who handed himself in for abusing his own daughter after being abused himself as a child; and the young man whose family member, an 11-year-old boy, had been sexually abused by a teenager. Many said that it was only after they left the community that they realised how wrong what was going on was.
In 2020, during a five-month police investigation dubbed Operation Minneapolis, Oranga Tamariki and police interviewed nearly all young boys aged 7 to 16 at the community. They found 60 people had been involved in “harmful sexual behaviour” as either children, young people or adults.
A subsequent investigation, Operation Mathius, was launched when it became clear there was a need for a broader police investigation into historical abuse at the community.
After speaking to hundreds of current and former members, detectives identified 138 potential victims of about 400 suspected crimes. The offending ranged from low-level physical assaults to serious sexual abuse.
The man Julia accused, Salem Temple, was the son of overseeing shepherd Howard Temple, who had succeeded Hopeful Christian as leader. He was charged, and faced two jury trials ‒ the first aborted, the second hung.
Six years after they were laid, the charges were dropped. Today, Benjamin still doesn’t understand why, but hopes her decision to go to police did something to encourage the string of women who followed her.
“If I had the opportunity, I would 100% do it all again.”
Will justice bring change?
Howard Temple resigned as overseeing shepherd last year, following his convictions for sexual offending against six girls and young women in the community. It was, almost, the last Gloriavale case heard. Former Gloriavale teacher Vigilant Standtrue’s sentencing on Tuesday for violent assaults on boys he was supervising brought an end to almost a decade of court cases. The litany of offending by other members included:
- Gloriavale teacher Just Standfast, who violently or sexually abused 21 victims between 1983 and 2023.
- Fervent Ben-Canaan, sentenced to four years and two months in prison for sexually offending against eight girls.
- Timothy Disciple, who admitted to indecently assaulting five young people,
- Joseph Hope, who was jailed for raping a girl under the age of 12,
- And Peter Trust, who abused two young girls.
Among the most serious offenders was Julia’s father, Jonathan Benjamin, who was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison for 26 charges against nine victims over more than 30 years.
“He did wrong in his life,” Julia Benjamin says. “And that’s on him.”.
Her father regularly rings her from prison, she says. Mostly, she just listens.
“From the way he talks to me, it has done him a world of good being there. He realises and understands what he did wrong. Maybe he just wants to have someone to listen to him on the outside. And if that helps him, I will do it. Some people don’t agree with that, but it’s my decision and I get to make my own choices out here.”
While the same people are in charge teaching the same doctrine at Gloriavale, Benjamin says there will always be a risk they will protect offenders over victims.
“I don’t believe the culture is going to change just like that… It’s just not possible. If they’re still living in Gloriavale, they’re still indoctrinated. The belief is that they are the one true church and leaving means you will burn in hell. That’s how you’re brought up. It’s mental torture.”
Benjamin has moved to Australia since leaving Gloriavale. It took her a long time to adapt to outside life, she says.
“It took me years to realise it was not my fault. Over the years I’ve had several breakdowns in life. I just think I haven’t had proper closure in my situation. It keeps coming back.
“I want other women and girls to know it’s not their fault. So if someone else comes forward, I will do what I can to help them. If my experience could help them, I would do anything I can.”
Virginia Courage, who waived her right to name suppression after giving evidence against Jonathan Benjamin, also believes change was not possible in Gloriavale.
“Sadly the Gloriavale system will continue to cause harm to its members as it is built on removing power and freedoms from those members.
“What is needed is a system and structure that cannot remove Gloriavale members freedoms, choices and autonomy. I am praying that the government agencies with the power and resources stop being the ambulance at the bottom of the hill.
“Fifty years of harm is enough.”
Still work to be done
Tasman district commander Superintendent Tracey Thompson says police today have open communication with the Gloriavale community and engage with its members as part of routine policing on the West Coast.
“Police will continue to engage, respond and investigate where required, alongside our partners.”
As well as a decade of criminal investigations, police have provided prevention-focused support at Gloriavale
“Many of the issues that have arisen cannot be dealt with by police alone. Like any community, wraparound support is required to address systemic and behavioural issues.”
Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust spokesperson Liz Gregory says the cases are a sobering and deeply distressing reminder of the serious harm that has occurred in Gloriavale over many decades.
“Our hearts have broken to hear about the trauma and long-lasting impacts that continue well beyond the courtroom. These were not isolated incidents and they occurred within a context that made disclosure difficult.
“We want to honour the courage of those who have spoken up. Speaking out comes at a cost, often involving fear of loss of family, faith and community.”
Gloriavale’s leaders declined to comment for this story. In 2022, following the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, the leadership issued a public apology in 2022 for failing to protect victims of labour exploitation and sexual abuse.
Gregory says the trust is aware of victims who have not yet come forward, and others for whom justice and accountability remain incomplete.
“We acknowledge the harm done to them and affirm that the shame does not belong to them. We pray they are able to find peace as they continue their deeply personal healing journeys.”
She thanked police for their dedication in building trust with victims during complex and prolonged investigations.
“We believe the police investigations and other wider court cases have led to greater awareness of the particular challenges and impacts faced by those in high-control environments.
“Ultimately, we hope these investigations lead to a safer environment for those still in Gloriavale, and better support for those who leave.
“Safety is not just about the absence of criminal convictions. It also involves whether adults and children are able to speak freely, access help, and make decisions without fear of consequences.
“There is still work to be done.”