Does Gloriavale have a future?
The conservative West Coast Christian community has had a bad year. It was slated, among others, in the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s final report; yet more of its members appeared in court on sexual, physical assault and fraud charges; and this month it lost a court battle to compel BNZ to handle its banking. Now, fresh details have emerged of a disturbing practice to silence crying babies. Is Gloriavale facing an existential threat? JOANNE NAISH reports.
Gloriavale women were forced to hold their hand over their baby’s mouth and nose, sometimes until they were limp and blue, because the community’s leader hated the sound of babies crying.
Oranga Tamariki and police have confirmed they are now making enquiries to stop the alleged widespread practice in the community, where contraception is outlawed and 12-child families are common.
Former community member Rosanna Overcomer gave evidence at the Royal Commission and said she was confident the practice had recently stopped after parents received education from outside providers. However, it had been commonly used for years, she added.
“It was taught as a way of keeping children quiet during meetings.”
She said she believes the practice originated from founder Hopeful Christian but was taught by others. The instructions were to cover the baby’s mouth while you left the room then tell the child to be quiet and count to three. They were expected to stop crying by the count of three, she said. It was also a way of teaching them not to cry in the first place.
Overcomer – who left the community 11 years ago and often witnessed distressed babies and their mothers during the practice – said it went against her’s, and many other mothers’ instincts.
“People didn’t like it. I would put my finger in my baby’s mouth and let them suck on it until I was out the door. But I remember getting told off by a leader for not doing it.”
She recalled seeing others dashing out of meetings holding their hands over babies faces and hearing babies scream in the distance once released.
“You were taught to obey and you did because you wanted to do everything in the best interest of your child’s salvation. That’s what it comes back to; breaking their will, teaching them to do what’s right and obey quickly.”
In response to a series of questions, including on the practice, the leaders said: “Gloriavale is committed to a strong and safe community where all those who choose to live here can have fulfilling and meaningful lives.”
Lawyer Louise Taylor, who represented more than 50 leavers of Gloriavale, told the Royal Commission the leaders of the community condoned and, encouraged this degree of violence in the discipline of children because submissive wives and children was a sign of a well-managed family, and the father of a well-managed family could rise in the social hierarchy in Gloriavale.
Taylor said that Christian hated the sound of children crying so taught parents to cover their children’s mouths and noses to prevent them from crying “until the child was struggling to breathe whenever they cried”. Several survivors said they had seen children turn blue in these instances.
Current leader Howard Temple was asked during his appearance at the hearings if he recalled the incidents. “No, I didn’t. I definitely don’t,” he said.
One of Gloriavale’s former acting principals Harmony Helpful, who is a registered midwife and teacher, said she had no comment to make on a series of questions about the community’s school and the issue of impeding babies’ breathing.
“Please contact the police for comment,” she said.
Gloriavale has come under unprecedented pressure this year with scrutiny into its education, employment, commercial practices as well as allegations of sexual and physical abuse.
The coming year will crucially see a decision on the community’s charitable status, a $5 million compensation and lost wages claim heard in the Employment court by former employees, a multi-million dollar slavery case against the community and the Government for not protecting them and Gloriavale survivors possibly laying claims in a redress scheme born out of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Faith-based Institutions.
Serious questions are now being asked about whether it can go on.
The money
This month, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of allowing BNZ to terminate the 83 accounts Gloriavale held with it on the grounds that not doing so violated the bank’s human rights policy. Individual bank accounts would be unaffected.
Gloriavale’s lawyer told the court without bank accounts the community’s ability to provide the basic needs of its people, including medical care and education would be at risk, as would the continued existence of the community.
Gloriavale’s chief executive Phil Jamieson, a former banker who oversees the community’s business interests, said he “categorically” rejected the idea Gloriavale would cease to operate without a bank account.
“I have a different opinion than the lawyer and that’s fine. We are reviewing our options regarding leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decision and we are also working on commercial strategies on how we look to replace BNZ should we be ultimately put in that position. I’m extremely confident we will resolve this in the New Year,” he said.
The Press contacted every bank in New Zealand and while most refused to say, only Rabobank said it would not offer banking services to the community “due to breaches of the bank’s policies and/or misalignment with the bank’s core target market”.
Former member John Ready said money made the world go around, and Gloriavale was no different. Implications of the BNZ ruling aside, the community had been propped up by taxpayers through its preschool and school and by being a registered charity, he said.
“They will keep going as long as the money keeps coming in. They have never been in this type of position before. They’ll just keep operating until they can’t. Where that ‘can’t’ line is remains to be seen.”
‘Submitting’
But what does ‘can’t’ look like? Gloriavale is a community of more than 500 people, extensive buildings, and substantial commercial and financial means, all based on its founder Hopeful Christian’s literal interpretation of the King James Bible. It has been in operation for 55 years and its world view is based on surrendering career, opinions, possessions, contact with the outside world and free will – a process known as ‘submitting’ to the church.
Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and Easter are not celebrated and there is no contraception, divorce or debt. All income goes into a communal purse, and all decisions are made by the Overseeing Shepherd supported by a group of men, called the Shepherds and Servants.
Former Brethren member Lindy Jacomb, who founded Olive Leaf Network to help people leaving high demand religious groups, said similar groups overseas had folded after a financial crisis or abuse scandal triggered a mass exodus. However, a core group of devotees could rebrand, change their name and “shape shift” to carry on , she said.
“The members usually carry their beliefs and practices, even some harmful ones, with them into the wider society so they carry on more under the radar without a physical base.”
A former member, who declined to be named, previously said Stephen Standfast, who has been chosen to succeed Howard Temple as Overseeing Shepherd, had spoken about “a loyalist few” carrying on in seclusion – perhaps at the newly acquired Lake Brunner Station where residential homes are under construction.
“He is one of the more extremists, really stuck to the old rules. He would rather have 100 loyalists in the community and get rid of the baggage, the problem people who keep leaving. He wants to get down to the loyalist few and take them somewhere secluded and cut them off from everyone else,” he said.
Professor Emeritus of History at Massey University Peter Lineham also believed a rump would remain if Gloriavale suddenly came to an end.
Expecting the movement that drove Gloriavale to vanish simply because the community broke up was naive, Lineham said. And somewhat unfair. Conservative Christianity or communal living was entitled to a place in our society.
“I have got no sympathy for Gloriavale in one way but I do think there should be space for a group like this to exist,” he said.
He said the leaders should send members out into the world for a year before making a commitment, like the Amish community did.
“When Hopeful died it had the option of reforming the system… Instead they got another 80-year-old leader to carry on in the same way. That’s the tragedy. The fact that the current leader is facing charges and the previous leader spent time in jail makes it a very ugly story,” he said.
The Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust confirmed that dozens of people had left the community over the past year and there was a noticeable increase in single young people leaving.
Perhaps prompted to leave by an unveiling and unravelling of the “very ugly story”.
Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s final report released in July recommended the Overseeing Shepherd issue a formal apology for allowing physical and sexual abuse to happen, allowing offenders to continue abusing while seeking forgiveness from victims and not reporting abuse to police. The inquiry’s redress report recommended the establishment of a single, independent redress system to compensate for the average cost of abuse in a survivor’s lifetime of $857,000.
Gloriavale has not apologised or responded to the commission’s findings.
Criminal investigations and court cases
Six Gloriavale men appeared in court during 2024 for physical and sexual abuse against children, women and men.
The Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple has pleaded not guilty to indecently assaulting 10 girls over two decades and his judge-alone trial will take place in July next year.
The police are continuing an investigation into claims of slavery and forced labour.
The findings of an inquest into the death of 20-year-old Sincere Standtrue is due to be released early next year. It examined whether his death was a suicide, accidental or as a result of toxin exposure and also heard how babies were forcefully silenced in the community.
Employment
The Employment Court found women and men who worked in the community were entitled to workers’ rights and were employed by Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple, or whoever held that role at the time of their employment.
Temple has been ordered to pay more than $274,000 in legal costs.
While the women’s case is under appeal, a $5.2 million compensation and lost wages claim is before the Employment Court.
The leavers’ lawyer said there were 38 other former members prepared to make claims, which could reach in excess of $20m.
Four former members, representing other Gloriavale leavers, filed a $10m civil case against five government agencies for failing to protect them, and Gloriavale leaders for holding them as slaves. A hearing date has not been set.
In March, the documentary Escaping Utopia revealed how Gloriavale women living in its Indian community had no access to passports and some of their children had no birth certs.
Education
The Teaching Council said it was currently dealing with a small number of complaints in regard to registered teachers at Gloriavale Christian School.
During 2024, two teachers were found guilty of serious misconduct by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal for hitting children with rulers at the community’s school and former Gloriavale teacher Just Standfast was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing children in his classroom for 40 years.
The Ministry of Education is still working with the school after a damning ERO report in 2023 found it was not providing an adequate education to its 139 pupils and did not meet the criteria for registration of a private school.
The school has had five principals or acting principals in three years and was using midwives and early childhood teachers to fill the teacher shortage.
It was advertising for an “outside” principal as part of its action plan for improvements.
The Ministry’s Hautū (leader) Te Tai Runga (South) Nancy Bell said it had required Gloriavale to develop an action plan and report regularly on its progress.
“We have been visiting monthly throughout the year and we will reassess the regularity of these visits in the new year,” she said.
ERO recently conducted another review, and a report would be published following due process, she said.
Charitable Status
Charities Services confirmed it has completed an investigation into the Christian Church Community Trust, the tax-free registered charity behind the community.
It referred its findings to the Charities Registration Board in September for a decision on whether it should keep its charitable status.
A similar investigation in 2015, which took 18 months, concluded trustees may have seriously breached the Charities Act, particularly with how they handled physical and sexual assault allegations and members wanting to leave the community.
However, Charities Services decided it was in the public interest for the trust to remain on the charities register so it could provide oversight and assistance for improvements.
The trust’s annual return for the year ending July 31, 2023, showed it had a surplus of almost $800,000, down from $3.4m in 2022 but its assets remained stable at $46m.
Gloriavale honey producer Forest Gold Honey went into voluntary liquidation in November owing more than $1 million.
As a result, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) dropped charges against the company for the alleged falsifying of export health certificates and breaching of exporter duties. Charges against its director Mark Christian were also dropped but two staff members pleaded guilty.
According to the first liquidator’s report, Forest Gold Honey’s insolvency came after weaker than anticipated sales and challenges finding trained staff.
Change?
Gloriavale leaders issued a public apology in 2022 for failing to protect victims of labour exploitation and sexual abuse after the Employment Court ruling and amid calls to boycott Gloriavale businesses. It proclaimed an open commitment and willingness to make significant changes. The apology recommended by the Royal Commission has not come yet.
Jacomb said apologies are viewed quite often by former members as having an ulterior motive and used to continue promoting the group’s agenda.
Ready says the banking issue could result in some individuals taking ownership of the assets and businesses.
“The whole ownership in unity will fall by the wayside and some individuals will own everything.”
He could not foresee any real change, despite the apology and promises.
“I think Gloriavale is set up to take advantage and exploit people. As long as Gloriavale is open, people will be getting exploited.”