Business Awards Win!

We’re delighted to have received the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Business Award for the Community Organisation category.

Our deepest thanks to the people all over NZ who support the work of resettling people who have left Gloriavale. It’s humbling to partner with you all in showing love and care.

Click here to see the Award Presentation on Facebook. Head to 26mins 30 to see the entrants’ short videos, and then 29 mins for the winner’s announcement and then the acceptance speech from Liz and Rosanna.

Acceptance Speech:

Liz Gregory: “Well, thank you! We’re thrilled to receive this award. Thanks to RSM Law and Ara and the Chamber for putting on this fantastic event.

We can’t do the work we do without you guys, so it’s not really true that we are the Community Organisation. You are the community organisation and we are accepting this award on your behalf.

There are so many people involved in helping people resettle leavers across the country but mainly here in South Canterbury. You’re a special group of people from churches, to individuals. schools. workplaces that have wrapped around people who need your love and your care.

People who have left Gloriavale are simply astounded at the level of kindness, having been taught that the outside world is evil and that people are just selfish and so it’s incredible for them to come here and receive your love and care.

We have a great Trust Board and we have Rosanna and Eli Overcomer here and I want to honour them. It was them 9 years ago who led a way. They were the first of the second generation born in Gloriavale who were married with a family who took the leap out of there and they didn’t know where they were going to stay that night.  So they have charted a course for over 220 people to leave Gloriavale over the last several years. and I know they have taken in a lot of leavers into their homes, they help us and give us advice on the Board and have shared what they have in experience and expertise.

All our staff and Trust Board are driven by our Christian faith and we want to show God’s love. and it’s humbling to be part of a team which gets to pass on your love and support to people that you have never even met. So I want to thank you for that.

We know Gloriavale is under intense pressure  immense pressure, and we often get asked, “Are you ready and have you planned” and the answer is, “No we work in an unpredictable resistance movement  added to refugee resettlement  and there is nothing predictable about the work we do”, but with all your support we know that when we need it our community rises to the challenge. So thank you for joining with out little it and we want to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Rosanna, do you have a couple of words on the spot?

“It’s pretty exciting to be at an Awards’ event. It’s my first.  I want to say thank you and it’s a pleasure and an honour to be here and to receive this award, as someone who has left Gloriavale to be noticed for the work that’s done. Thankyou”