Gloriavale appeal allowed
Gloriavale Christian Community has been granted permission to appeal an Employment Court ruling that found girls were employees and entitled to minimum entitlements.
Last year, the court ruled that six former Gloriavale women had actually been employees working under punishing conditions for years on end at the Lake Haupiri community.
Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage took Gloriavale’s leaders to court, arguing they had lived in servitude and were not community volunteers.
Chief Judge Christina Inglis noted the female workforce in the kitchen produced more than 11,000 meals, while laundry workers washed at least 17,000 items.
Gloriavale’s lawyer said once the specific employers for each woman were determined at a later date, claims could be lodged against each one.
Gloriavale indicated at the time it would appeal.
“The decision has significant and wideranging implications beyond just our community,” it said in a statement last year.“This includes how New Zealand faithbased communities, iwi and wh-nau choose to live and structure their household responsibilities.”
Liz Gregory, from the Gloriavale Leavers Trust in Timaru, said the thought of the appeal was “not really appealing because it’s such a long, slow haul through the courts for some kind of accountability”.
It would be dealt with on paper with the evidence already submitted.
Gloriavale listed at least 15 reasons why it thought the judgment was wrong. These included possible an error of law; appointing counsel to assist the court when the plaintiffs had adequate representation; admitting evidence that was prejudicial and irrelevant; the Labour Inspectorate investigated twice and found they were not employees, since the judgement; the Government has indicated it intends to take action against the community and this will have ramifications for the way of life of its members; it will impact other communal groups in NZ; it’s contrary to how other country’s courts have viewed similar communal groups; and the issue should have been heard b y the Employment Relations Authority first. Ms Gregory said the Court of Appeal had dismissed the majority of Gloriavale’s concerns.
But judges did leave open a possibility for an appeal to be heard on two finer points of law.
“We are disposed to think there are narrower questions of law which may have wider significance for religious or volunteer organisations, and which are capable of decision on the existing record without embarking on the wider inquiry sought by the applicants.”