Leavers’ trust planning for Gloriavale ‘ending’
| Greymouth Star | Laura Mills|
‘Assets sold … and no remnant’
Some of the 250 people who have left Gloriavale over the past decade, have come up with a vision for how life there should be — and what should happen if it were to close, from protecting the cemetery to divvying up the assets.
About 550 people currently live at the Gloriavale Christian Community at Lake Haupiri, and the Timaru-based Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust estimates upwards of 250 have left over the past 10 years.
The trust says it has consulted with many Gloriavale leavers in drafting a document called ‘Hope for Gloriavale’.
“It takes the conversation into the laps of Gloriavale themselves, government agencies and hopefully the wider public,” Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust spokeswoman Liz Gregory says.
A large section of the document explores what the trust thinks should happen if Gloriavale ended.
“A suitable ending for Gloriavale should give its residents maximum help and preparation for a new life and recompense those who have already left for past wrongs. The ending process should also work toward preventing a reoccurrence of Gloriavale and its many problems on the existing site or elsewhere.”
The “ending” should be orderly, phased, and gradual to allow residents to prepare for a new life in the outside world.
“The ending should also be a total end, with assets sold, legal structures dissolved, and no rump or remnant group of people allowed to remain on the site. An external or statutory group should be the overseer of this process, with input from both residents and leavers of Gloriavale.”
An external church connected to Westland churches and churches with a history of integrating leavers should be encouraged and resourced, recognising that about 80% of Gloriavale leavers join another church.
The leavers’ trust document says the cemetery at Gloriavale should be preserved and protected.
Teaching staff from outside Gloriavale would probably be needed to help prepare children, and an external group like the New Zealand Association of Christian Schools (NZACS) should oversee school operations during a transition.
People should receive financial literacy training, and everyone should have physical, dental and mental health checks.
“All assets are sold and put into a resettlement fund for distribution to residents and leavers.”
The document also looks at what ex-Gloriavale people think should happen now. It calls for freedom for people to read the Bible for themselves and to hold beliefs based upon their own understanding and conscience.
They also want the freedom to choose to be part of the church at Gloriavale or another Christian church, or even no church at all.
They should be able to start their own business, whether at Gloriavale or elsewhere, and take holidays according to their earned entitlements.
They should be able to marry the person of their choice — including people outside of Gloriavale and then determine how many children they want. Families could live independently rather than in communal housing, and visit family and friends outside of Gloriavale.
Health and education also feature as well as the freedom to own their own vehicles. The freedom of people to “own and use their own phones, computers and internet capable devices within their own choices, privacy, and security” is another goal.
As well as church leaders, the leavers’ trust wants to see a separate ‘civil administration’ which attends to the needs of the ‘town’.
Business units should be part of a co-operative in which residents hold shares.
“A person should only be able to serve on one leadership group at any time to help prevent any one person getting too powerful.”