How did we get to this point?

Opinion piece: Liz Gregory.

(Thoughts, opinions and views expressed here belong to Liz Gregory and may or may not represent the views of all leavers or current members).

It’s been an interesting week. It started with a meeting 60 Gloriavale leavers attended (in-person and on Zoom). The legal team wanted to propose an opportunity for leavers to apply to the Employment Relations Authority for recovery of wages, holiday, sick pay and damages (off the back of the precedent set by the 9 plaintiffs in the two Employment Court hearings throughout 2022/2023.)

This has inevitably led to debate and dialogue amongst leavers and members about whether it is a right course of action. As expected there has been some very healthy dialogue, some brilliant logic, raised temperatures, blunt conversations, emotional and spiritual abuse, apologies, hyperbole and maybe even a touch of hysteria (!). Leavers had until the 31 January to decide whether this course of action was right for them. Apparently more than 60 have decided it is right for them. I support everyone who made a decision, one way or another for their 100 different reasons. I do not know who you are. I do not need to know who you are. You are adults who need to make decisions and live with the consequences – whichever option you choose.

I will not extol the virtues of the decision-making process, or write a defense for legal action in this post (I’ll do that another day!), but instead I want to answer a very simple question posted on the private Leavers Facebook Page.

Question: “Whose decision was it to go after the Gloriavale estate instead of the leadership/perpetrators directly?

I don’t think that question has a short answer, because the question is written in a binary fashion – a simple either/or situation. And it’s simply not that simple.

I am also aware that so many new people have left Gloriavale in the decade that we’ve been involved and they might also wonder how on earth have things come to this?

Below is a history lesson, with a twist at the end that might surprise you. Let me outline the escalating steps that have unfolded over the past 10 years that I have been involved in.

In the Beginning…

Over the past few decades hundreds of people have left Gloriavale. Not because it was easy, but because either various kinds of abuse drove you out, or you were forced to reckon with the leadership, or you simply didn’t believe what was being taught there anymore, or wanted a new life. I am aware that most of you struggled to make the decision, and that Gloriavale has cast a long shadow into your present lives. The impacts are immense for some.

We have heard that many of you tried to reason with the leadership, either when you were there or after you left. You went in the spirit of Matthew 18 and attempted to show the leadership where they were wrong. Some wrote letters. Some made phone calls. Some went in person. There were persistent efforts to show the leadership there was a better Christian way. Many of you have told us you feel your attempts failed.

Ministers from other towns and cities and countries also sat down with the leadership to humbly have discussions. I have heard from many that they felt their attempts failed.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of the older generations who left and also made attempts to connect with family and friends still inside, to raise awareness, to create change, to care and show another way. There were those who valiantly and through much adversity were involved in court cases that imprisoned Hopeful Christian. I admire their efforts and success. It must have come at great personal sacrifice, taken huge amounts of energy, and must have been a difficult decision at the time. I am also guessing there was a fair amount of criticism levelled at them for rocking the boat, and there must have been concern about what would happen to the members if the impact of that ended up closing down the community. I am sure for many it has hurt them to see that the culture of abuse was not firmly stamped out in the 1990’s.

During 2015 Gloriavale broadcast it’s glossy documentaries, showing Gloriavale to be a harmonious example of Christian Community. However leavers responded and allegations of harm started to seep out through the media. The Police pricked up their ears. They put a phone number in a newspaper and asked people to call it if they wanted to talk. This was never likely to reach the necessary people and so Bronwyn Kempf invited the Police to Timaru to meet a group of recent leavers to explain what crimes look like.

Charities Services Investigation

This meeting was part of what sparked off a Charities Investigation review which spanned 2015/2016 culminating in a report indicating there were very real concerns about Gloriavale (high levels of sexual abuse, allegations of worker exploitation, physical abuse, shunning and more). At the time, the mainly young leavers said they didn’t want GV to lose their charitable status and be financially impacted, because they didn’t want their families inside to suffer. They knew how the community would act in response. They still believed the community was poor and that this would just make conditions worse. The Charities Services considered this and decided instead of stripping them of their charitable status they would work with Gloriavale to reform them! This is indeed a novel concept – to reform a cult. I personally believe they were naive and had no idea what on earth they were looking at. They were ill prepared, did not engage with cult specialists and psychologists and they overlooked the obvious warning signs. They bit off more than they could chew, and they also need to be partially accountable for the harm that has followed.

Amidst GV’s denial that they even did anything wrong they made a few changes to ensure they were being legal in their meetings (ie actually having proper Trust Board meetings and writing minutes etc). The also wrote the new policies Charities Services recommended – leaving, shunning, and going to the Police etc. Then they went on their merry way doing what they had always done. (In my opinion Charities Services should NEVER have accepted their policies. The policy on abuse mentioned that they would go to the Police if an offender wasn’t coming to repentance and was continuing to harm…)

GV took months to write the policies and give them to the Charities Services. In 2017 they had been published and the whole report was ready to read. We read the policies GV wrote and so did some of you. We laughed. Not in a funny way. But the kind of laugh where you shake your head and say to someone, “Wow-can-you-believe-they-wrote-that-and-the-Charities-Services-believed-it?” kind of laugh. There was a wide-spread belief that there was no way GV was going to ever keep to those. (Hopeful said as much when he came back from India too). But we gave them time. Apparently patience is a virtue. I regret giving time now, because I know vast swathes of young ones were sexually abused in the upcoming years. I am sorry we could not, and did not act fast enough for you. We later found out the the policies were just recommendations, and Gloriavale never even got given a warning. Disappointing.

Independent Trustees Added

They were also forced to add three independent and external trustees onto their board. They selected a man who had been their lawyer for many years, the owner of Mitre 10, and the owner of an engineering firm. These were all men who had significantly benefited from GV in the past and who had friendly relationships with current leaders. I am not sure what the word “independent” means.

Alarm Raising with Charities Services & Police

Overtime a group of us started interacting. We now call this “the network”. It involved outsiders, other leavers and insiders sharing information and documenting when we believed GV were breaking their own “policies”. People started emailing the Charities Services (and on the odd occasion would contact the Police if necessary) outlining the broken promises – asking when they were going to wake up and smell the coffee (ie see what was under their noses). Charities Services kept popping into GV Trust meetings from time-to-time making them aware they there had been more complaints, but Charities Services seemed to drink the Kool Aid. Gloriavale told them there’s nothing to see here, it’s just some bitter leavers and the GLST who support a campaign of lies.

Multi-Agency Group

Meanwhile initial Police interest in GV continued and a multi-agency Government group was formed to chat about all things GV. It included MSD, OT, Police and Charities Services. We felt our best option was to funnel information to the Charities Services and they would disseminate it to the various appropriate groups. Our contact there seemed warmer and more receptive that other agencies. Police could only deal with crime and we got the feeling they didn’t really want to hear from us directly. They wanted to speak to leavers or people inside directly. But they didn’t have the hotline inside GV and with leavers that we had. In fact, none of these Govt groups had the contact our network had. They were not hearing much at that stage in history!

Call for a Reinvestigation into Gloriavale’s Charitable Status

Eventually leavers got sick and tired of waiting for change, and we crafted a letter calling for a re-investigation into Gloriavale, which almost 40 adult leavers signed. Pretty good numbers for back then. Bronwyn and I went to Wellington to meet with Charities Services and we handed them the letter and a lot of information we had collated from leavers etc about the state of things in Gloriavale. Two Charity Services staff struck me as hostile and one seemed pleasant. (Charities Services pondered this request for months, and then denied the request. We tried again and finally had success after the Employment Court win in May 2022. Their current investigation is still ongoing … Gloriavale is still a fully registered Charity enjoying the tax benefits).

Royal Commission

While in Wellington in 2019, we met with the Royal Commission who had started an Investigation into Abuse in Care and Faith-based groups. They said GV sounded much like a Pitcairn Island situation and they expressed much concern. We coordinated a group of leavers who we called on to help guide us in getting GV recognised as a group who needed investigating for the Royal Commission. Maybe this would be the way GV could be straightened out? It took 2 years of lobbying and advocacy work but we finally succeeded! The Commission sent lawyers across NZ to speak with leavers and a large portion contributed to the investigation. We are still awaiting the final report due this year. What recommendations will they give to the Govt about GV??

Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust

Our Trust was established in May 2019 in response to the growing need for a coordinated response when people left Gloriavale, and a vehicle for advocacy. Various Trust members felt in their own hearts to attempt to connect with GV to talk about issues. Each shared with us their various attempts. Graham and I personally wrote a very long, comprehensive letter to the GV leaders and the Trustees (including external trustees). This was a serious letter written in a merciful, entreating manner. We requested a meeting to discuss the issues. We never had a response. Apparently inside the meeting the leaders and trustees said “there will be no response”. This was deeply disturbing. Additionally it reflects poorly on the external trustees. It outlined all the areas of concern, that eventually made their way into the Civil law suit and the Employment Court and were proven to be true. How we wish they had taken that letter seriously.

Enter Lawyers

In 2019 a Christian lawyer, Steve Patterson, asked to see us. He was good friends with Dale who worked with us as Admin and pastoral care for the Trust. Gloriavale had been on his heart for many years. He had supported and given employment to a leaver 10 years previously and it left an imprint on him. He had also read a statement from another leaver who had gone to a lawyer over a family court matter. He was concerned. He’d already been talking about the issue in backrooms with other lawyers for quite some time. He offered to do some scoping research to see about the extent of legal wrong-doing inside GV and to come and provide the Trust with an opinion for various remedies. We were the only contact for him inside the GV sphere.

He looked into abuse, exploitation and various human rights violations.

Some may ask “Why did our Trust do that?” And the answer is simple. Because no one else seemed to be acting. The network that had formed (with us and other leavers and families of leavers) seemed to be the only people expressing concern. And it was out of care and concern for those who remained. We had a growing number of people inside GV connecting with us asking for help (some of them have left today and some are still in there). We acted mercifully in response to Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Leavers’ Feedback

Around the same time we asked for feedback from around 30 leavers (all ages and stages) to contribute to something called “The Big Question”. The question was “What changes or outcomes would you like to see relating to Gloriavale?”

We genuinely wanted to know what they thought, what they wanted and what solutions they thought might work, and wanted to assist with those efforts. Leavers are the best people to ask for solutions in my opinion. They are the experts! In particular there was a new kind of leaver coming out. The second generation who had been born there. Their experiences and opinions are very valuable.

This feedback came back with an overwhelming direction. Most people identified the leaders’ control over the people was the main issue. And most of them offered a solution. That was to remove the leaders from their positions of power and to make sure financial control was given to the people. Finances were identified as the pivot on which all control swung. According to the stories of many leavers (older and younger ones) the community had been established in its early years and some people ended up being financially coerced and manipulated. This got worse through the decades. It seemed that control was the driver. Religion was the cloak. Sadly, abuse was the outcome.

Lawyers Started their Investigation

Steve Patterson spoke to many people (current and former members) and determined there definitely appeared to be a big problem.

During this time the levels of sexual abuse were being revealed to us in greater and greater numbers. The Police were reasonably powerless at this stage because the people in there (and even leavers) were still too scared or traumatised, or untrusting, to talk. The possibility of making use of the criminal justice system was sitting around 3%.

Recent attempts to bring perpetrators to justice had already failed for various reasons. (Lack of witnesses, perverting the course of justice, emotional blackmail – you name it).

Steve Patterson approached experienced lawyers Brian Henry and Dennis Gates to assist with providing a number of legal remedies for the situation. Brian and Dennis were well known for taking on big jobs for little reward. They had a track record of fighting for the underdog and for being legal geniuses in the way they approaches cases. No they were not Christian’s – but isn’t it amazing that God is so big, he can even use non-Christian’s to bring his will to pass! God’s common grace of brains extends wider than just Christians. They are people who have empathy and have been brought to tears on numerous occasions with what they have heard. They have also had an opportunity to interact with Christians and I know this has been a positive experience for them.

Civil Law Suit

The lawyers came to the Trust with an idea they were advancing and asked us to consider whether we would support it. They had already asked John Ready if he would become a plaintiff in a Civil Law suit, requesting the removal of the Trustees and leaders at GV. He had accepted the proposal. The lawyers offered to work pro-bono until such time as they won the case, and would then request costs from the court. To this day the case is still ongoing and has not had a resolution yet.

We had some good robust discussions about whether the Trust would support the legal approach. We each shared our views on Christians and court – the principles, the limitations and the varying viewpoints. Every trust member at the time agreed with the proposal.

This would surely lead to meaningful change. The idea was for the Public Trust to provide oversight of the management of GV’s Trust to ensure the people inside GV would have their needs better met, that control would loosen around their day-to-day lives. This might lead to increased freedom for families to reconnect and a chance for the gospel to go forward.

This small act offered hope for freedom from bondage.

Enter Sharon Ready (a current member)

Over the next few months things got interesting. Sharon Ready (a current GV member) was moved in her heart to jump on board, becoming a plaintiff in the Civil Suit. She shared the concerns and recognised nothing but drastic action would work.

GV continued to deny the claims laid at their feet.

The Judge didn’t want to go to trial until an opportunity had been given for the two sides to meet together. But a week before this GV did a purge and threw out three wives who were married to problematic husbands who had left. Maybe they thought this would stop the proceedings? Give them what they want and our problems will disappear? …

John, Sharon the lawyers, Janina and supporters Zion and Gloriana were invited to attend, as well as GV representatives (Howard, Samuel, a couple of other leaders and some ladies from GV and their lawyers.). What went on behind the doors for those two sides is for anyone to guess, but info did leak out of GV pretty soon after.

We heard GV members wrote a bunch of “will say” statements – where they basically said GV did not operate under fear and control and that people were not being treated in the way that was being insinuated. They wrote about a beautiful community of love and happiness. They said leavers were free to visit families etc. etc. Basically they denied things, but also promised to do better in the next breath. I’ve always wondered what those GV ladies were thinking that day when they heard the leaders defending a position that they knew was untrue.

Gloriavale Makes Promises – Temporary Settlement Agreement

There was a temporary agreement made between the parties to give GV a chance to prove themselves. It was confidential but it was made publicly known that the Public Trust would oversee the Charitable Trust for 18 months.

I surmise that obviously it didn’t work out really well, because nothing changed on the ground inside GV for the members. I expect that the overseer must have spent his time with his head in the books trying to understand the complex legal and financial structure. People in there said he never got around to connecting with current members, or ensuing their human rights were being upheld or increasing their standard of living. He eventually pulled out, or his time came to an end.

If I can pinpoint a time in recent history where GV could have made a better decision, it would be right here. They had all the facts on the table. They were suitably warned. In quiet. Behind closed doors. In the spirit of Matthew 18. They missed this chance to “settle with their adversary along the way”. In not keeping their word and making true attempts at acknowledgement and reconciliation, they proved themselves as an unhealthy cult, who would further entrap their people. This inability to recognise the wrong and to humble themselves is what has led to the steps that are unfolding today. They chose a path that has cost them millions of dollars in legal fees.

Meanwhile the plaintiffs weren’t satisfied. This is clear because they express their dissatisfaction in the Gloriavale film. There is a moment where Steve Patterson says “10 months on from that and we may as well throw their promises in the rubbish” (or something like that).

The leavers weren’t satisfied either, and neither were growing numbers in the community who were connecting with us. Some of them were suffering as the result of split families. Things were still tough at GV. Control was high. The noose was tightening.

CEO of Trust appointed – Phil Jamieson

The plaintiffs said that since things had not improved, then clearly it needed to proceed to trial. But again there was another settlement conference. A while later Phil Jamieson entered the scene as the CEO of the CCC Trust. I don’t know why it didn’t go to trial at this stage.

Children’s Commissioner

We connected with the Children’s Commissioner, who ordered a report into the support leavers receive after leaving Gloriavale. It also outlined huge child safety concerns. Govt agencies were urged to connect better with leavers and the GLST and that this was a “matter of utmost priority”…

Police

Meanwhile Police were likely feeling pressure from many sides. The Royal Commission was interviewing leavers, and all things Gloriavale were hitting the news relentlessly. Eventually the Police decided to interview all leavers, and they created Exit Interviews. I understand many of you have been interviewed by them. It is these interviews that the Police have been working through to bring perpetrators to account. They can only go on what they are aware of, and what they can evidentially prove in court. They have also held the view that they only press charges if the victim wants them to. This may have changed, but generally speaking that holds true. The victim is left making a terrible decision that might have them labelled as bitter or unchristian. This means those victims still in GV are unlikely to participate in many of the prosecutions, although to their credit, some have. The Police have a difficult job to do. They are, in my opinion, understaffed and are possibly dealing with one of the most complex environments in NZ – a cult. There is evidence the Police have a better understanding of the system of Gloriavale now, thanks to leavers and brave insiders who continue to help educate them. They have continued, and will continue to bring perpetrators to justice. So far 22 people have been charged. There are currently 15 still under investigation. There have been more than 190 victims of physical or sexual abuse identified. These are devastating numbers. And we are aware this not a full total.

Current Members go public

When the civil court case was filed two current GV men were gutsy enough to front the media to talk about their lives inside and why there needed to be intervention at GV. As part of their list of complaints, they mentioned the long working hours. Unfortunately, these men were not adequately safeguarded and they were far too easily recognised. They suffered for that after the article aired, and I am sorry for that. I wish I had been more involved with the media to ensure that did not happen. I have since worked much more closely to ensure people aren’t harmed by their media interactions.

Enter MBIE – Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment

One journalist followed up this interview with Government Departments and uncovered an old report which was written by MBIE and then quietly buried. Charities Services had passed them their concerns, and all they did was a desktop review and decided the members were not employees and so it didn’t fall within their jurisdiction. This is a perfect example of a paper-pusher sitting at a desk failing the children of New Zealand. It appears in reading the report, that they recognised there were concerning elements of control and coercion (which would indicate forced labour), but I don’t believe they transferred their concerns to the Police. Bad move.

The story takes an interesting turn here and sets it on a collision course with GV’s assets. This is why leavers have ended up in the employment court, with a claim for compensation.

Minister for MBIE calls for a re-examination of the facts

After the report was uncovered, there was a media flurry and the Minister at the time said he would take another look. MBIE began a pre-investigation process. The GLST assisted in finding people who wished to speak to the Labour Inspectorate about their working life at Gloriavale. They interviewed 13 leavers. They also went to Gloriavale and interviewed many current members. In our opinion this was poorly done, and they were duped by Gloriavale’s superior methods of ensuring the loyal spoke up and the bottom-feeders were kept well away. The people were even told what to say to the inspectors. “We are volunteers and we’re happy.” MBIE had been warned this would happen and had been given, but did not follow advice on the best way to interview people in high-control groups.

Finally MBIE completed the pre-investigation and passed the info to Crown Law to get a legal opinion. Nine months later, MBIE announced they would not be proceeding to an investigation. On the balance of probabilities, the workers at Gloriavale were not employees, they were something else (presumably volunteers, self-employed, or slaves?). MBIE was not the place to have this issue resolved. By now it’s 2021. Six years on from the Charities Investigation.

Enter Brian Henry and Team

I rang Brian to complain about the MBIE decision to not even investigate! He said “send me the file”. The rest is history. Leavers went on the news, we attended a demonstration at an Election Leaders’ debate and we started a petition. Leavers spoke up about injuries they had suffered while in GV and the lack of care.

Boys Employment Court Case

Within five weeks the legal team had drafted up proceedings to be heard in the Employment Court seeking a declaration that the workers in GV were employees. The legal team cleverly decided to make MBIE and the Labour Inspectorate the first defendants in the case for their failure to protect NZ citizens from exploitation. Gloriavale leadership/Trust and other entities were the second defendants. Three young men joined the Courage case as plaintiffs. The case was heard in Feb 2022 and by May the judgment was released that these boys were employees from the age of six. The Judge is still to rule on who the employer was. Gloriavale did not appeal.

Police Investigation into Forced Labour, Servitude and Slavery

Because of the evidence given in the Employment Court, Police correctly identified there was evidence of possible forced labour, servitude and slavery. Gloriavale is now under active investigation for those serious allegations. No one knows what time-frames the Police are looking at. It’s been two years since the first employment court case started. Bringing perpetrators to account is long and slow – which is pretty painful for people still trapped in the system.

Government Creates a New Group to keep eyes on GV

The Government kept being accused of failing in their respective roles and so the original multi-agency morphed over time and by mid-2022 a Public Services Commissioner was appointed to oversee the Government’s response for 18 months (until Dec 2023). That time has passed and we do not know the status of this group currently. Cabinet wrote 5 key outcomes that GV needed to implement in that time:

1. Work at Gloriavale is undertaken by community members without the threat of penalty (For example, food being withheld, or members being berated at public meetings.)
2. Gloriavale residents receive at least minimum legal entitlements for their work.
3. Children have their rights upheld, including receiving an education and not being exploited for commercial gain.
4. There is no tolerance for any form of avoidable serious harm to anyone at Gloriavale, especially children, including physical and sexual abuse. And where it does occur it is reported and dealt with through the criminal justice system and other relevant agency responses.
5. Those who want to leave Gloriavale can do so freely, with appropriate support to help them (re) integrate into society.

Every six weeks Government Departments tabled a report and the Public Services Commissioner ensured there were regular meetings to talk about the progress. Many of the people in the group are just Civil servants sitting in Wellington who don’t even interact with members or leavers. (To their credit OT and Police have a better presence in GV now and have built some relationships of trust.) However, people closer to the action were not invited to participate in this process. The GLST decided to table their own reports from time-to-time to provide another perspective. What are they doing with these pieces of paper? We can’t be sure. Our Trust went to the Beehive to meet a Cabinet Minister. We urged them to connect with leavers and to use them a resource. They said they would… Leavers are still waiting.

Gloriavale’s recent changes

Judge for yourself how the community has reformed in the past few years. There is no doubt the external pressure has lead to some changes in children’s work life. These have been reluctant changes and the attitude of the majority is still that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, and the leavers are just bitter. It appears that GV are not interested in just complying with the law in the way that any other business in NZ would. They are ducking and diving and that’s why progress is painful, slow and ultimately, in my opinion, impossible.

Yes there has been some loosening of control – but it’s not because the leaders have given permission and have been actively encouraging people to live guilt-free with more freedom. No, it’s because the people inside are becoming more confident, and are breaking way more rules! They are seeing little gaps through which they are driving buses. Under the gaze of the courts and the Govt, the leaders are a little less powerful, and people are taking advantage of it. More than that, there are also smart people in GV who know that if they keep their “enemies” closer, it might stop some of the bombs dropping on them. Just recently a GV mum was nice to her adult child who had left. She asked her mum, “Why you are being so nice to me”. Mum answered, “Because I was told to.”

Child Safety Improvements

Hats off to the Nicholas Davidson report and team who worked hard to introduce Safe Guarding Children policies and education into GV. This has opened eyes and hopefully there is more awareness now of what physical and sexual abuse looks like and how to deal with it. Sadly, GV is a cult, and so the emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse continues as normal. It’s actually internalised over so many years and members can’t even recognise it.

Education improvements

Families are starting to experience freedom because home-schooling has opened up as a viable option, (due to the catastrophic failure of the school to provide adequate education). This is enabling parents to take a greater interest in their children’s lives, and to assist them with their development as humans. GV are still angry at us and leavers for exposing the school’s deep issues. But I know families are loving the changes that have been “forced” on them.

Improved Living conditions for some

So many people have left and there are extra rooms for families to spread out in now. The large numbers of Police charges have also lead to families being removed from the hostel situation and living in homes (some men under bail conditions). Home-schooling and the financial situation at Gloriavale has also led to some people seeking work off the property, and some are enjoying the benefits of not living on the GV property and developing a more healthy, autonomous family unit. Fortunate ones get invited to live at Lake Brunner, with the hope of their own house. They have moved a handful of houses onto that community and continue to develop the property amidst their financial difficulties. I anticipate this community is the bolt-hole the faithful will move to when persecution comes to Gloriavale. It’s a pretty typical cult pattern and it forms part of the pattern that when things get difficult, we can just morph and move and go somewhere quieter.

Work Life Changes

Amongst the positive changes, there is still a bulk of people who are unable to create better conditions inside GV for themselves. We know people are still under pressure to hand in all their money under the threat of “Ananias and Saphira”. We know the young ladies are still working hard (even if they now work in their hostel kitchen and not in the big one, and they get a little more time off to help their families). We know the young men aren’t being paid properly as employees. We know GV are trying to get everyone into the Partnership, thinking that is a place of safety from the clutches of the law. Recently, men who worked full-time received $350 for a month of work. And there is an expectation they will donate it back. I do not believe the workers yet fall under the self-employed category.

Improved Leaving Process

We acknowledge that people who leave are getting more financial support. A young person can now expect $10,000 in total. Perhaps $3000 in the hand and the rest to follow. The amount for a family is woefully inadequate. GV are also providing bits and pieces of whiteware when people leave. But clearly not house loads of furniture. We know this, because we keep doing mercy dashes to the West Coast with house loads of furniture. I do not believe there has been adequate progress on #5 key outcome in the past 2 years. I do not believe people can leave “freely” ie without repercussions for their families and their soul. I would not call it a supported leaving process.

GV have improved when it comes to them wanting someone to leave. Instead of throwing them out in the middle of the night, they just slowly squeeze them out until the person is sick and tired and finally gives up. GV does not want problematic people living on site, and so they have allowed wives and children to go and live with their husbands on the outside, but to remain part of the church. This is a positive move. However, the general population considers this wife to be disloyal to the church, and she struggles with the decision to remain with her husband. This does not feel like a supported situation.

In summary, the 5 key outcomes listed above are a pipe-dream, and in my opinion any Government who thinks they can reform a cult, has been wrongly advised. How many decades can you sit by and wait for a group to make changes they simply don’t want to make and don’t believe they should make?

Girls’ Court Case filed

During the first week of the Boys’ hearing, in early 2022, the legal team filed for a declaration that young ladies were also employees. Six plaintiffs were selected. That case started in August 2022, and ran for ten weeks, across a 7 month period. The judgment was released in July 2023. The women were found to be employees. A subsequent ruling indicated the role of the Overseeing Shepherd was the employer. Gloriavale have appealed all aspects of the ruling. Whether they have been given permission to appeal is still before the courts.

Judge Paves the way for compensation

In the employment court judgment, the plaintiffs were invited by the Judge to file with the Employment Relations Authority to receive their recovery of wages, holiday pay, sick pay, compensation etc. The nine plaintiffs filed in January 2024 with a claim totaling $5.2 million.

Others invited to join in

With the precedent set by the law, many other leavers and current members who worked at Gloriavale may also be entitled to recovery of wages. The lawyers rang me late 2023 to ask if I knew anyone who was interested in the recovery of wages, and said they might be able to file a second claim if there was interest. I had kept a record of more than 50 people who had expressed an interest over the past year. They asked if I could organise a meeting for them to come down and propose it to leavers, but this time it would be on a paid basis. They clearly communicated there were other options available eg. people could get their own lawyer and work through the ERA process, or they could wait for the Labour Inspectorate to recover the wages for them. Or join together in this class action. Or do nothing.

In January 2024 that meeting occurred. More than 60 people expressed interest and they were given until 31 January to decide whether they would like the legal team to work on their behalf. Those who have joined the proceedings are entitled to by law. The community grew its assets on the back of unpaid labour units. The Judge disagreed with GV’s constant references that they would not be able to pay wages stating,

“Indeed it became apparent, from evidence given by the leaders, that the concern about a finding of employment status was less about incompatibility with religious belief, and more about financial capacity to pay for the work women did on the Teams… It is notable that the evidence before the Court of the Community’s finances, including its extensive acquisition of additional property, does not sit well with a claimed lack of capacity to pay.“

Answer Time

So I guess there are a few ways to answer the question, “Whose decision was it to go after the Gloriavale estate instead of the leadership/perpetrators directly?“

It’s hard to answer that. The Civil suit attempted to deal with the leadership. That has not had a resolution as yet. The Police are still trying to bring perpetrators to account – and have chosen to focus on the sexual and physical assaults as a priority – rather than the leadership. (I hope they get to the leaders eventually, but by then many key figures might have died or have lost their mental capacity). Finally, there wasn’t really a decision made at any point in time to go after assets – rather an opportunity for legitimate reclaiming of wages for anyone who signs up. The Judge made that decision and paved the way.

Then again, perhaps it was way back in 2020 when 37 leavers identified that control was maintained through finances. Maybe they correctly identified that accumulation of assets occurred under the control of the leaders on the backs of child and adult labor, and this is continuing to keep people in bondage and slavery. Perhaps this holding to account will in some strange way free people from the clutches of the cult.

Or perhaps if we’re looking to apportion blame, the first cause would have to be Gloriavale themselves. They could have changed their deeply-held beliefs (as they have on many other issues over time) and borrowed money to make things right early on instead of pushing it to escalate. They could have sold one or two of the outlying properties that weren’t bringing them much income. By not solving the issues when they were presented to them, they have backed themselves into a corner. I guess it was inevitable. Cults don’t have a habit of owning up and making right do they? They always want to blame someone else.

Who else can they blame?

Legal Agents: The Judge who made a ruling and then invited the Plaintiffs to file for recovery of wages with the Employment Relations Authority.
Indirect Agents: All the Govt agencies who have so far failed to hold GV accountable
Strategic Agents: Lawyers who represented the leavers wishes
Supporting Agent: Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust and noisy fan club
Direct Agents: All leavers who choose to sign up to the Employment Relations Claim

Goodness. What a story!

That’s the story of what we did. For those who have been watching this unfold and are unhappy with where it’s ended up, can I invite you to ask yourselves, “What did you do?” and “What would you have done differently?”

My response is I wouldn’t have done anything differently. I know each stage was thoughtfully and prayerfully contemplated, with what appeared to be widespread support from leavers (albeit mainly second generation leavers). I have been deeply proud of the work of the Trust and believe it was right for us to support the many and various measures to highlight the issues and bring accountability and reform. We have not succeeded yet, and so we will not sit down. It’s not easy. Thanks to those who send beautiful messages of support. You have no idea how important they are to the team.

However, it’s not honest to say I have no regrets, because I do. I wish I did more. I wish I worked harder. I wish I worked faster. I wish I wrote more letters and emails. I wish I’d worked with lawyers earlier. I wish I blew the whistle louder and harder than I did. I wish I activated harder. I wish more people could have left before they got abused. I wish I could help more people. I wish I could help people more.

I am honoured to know, work with and love so many courageous leavers of Gloriavale. We can’t control the actions of others. Gloriavale made its choices. Police are making theirs. The Royal Commission will make theirs. Charity Services will make theirs. Leavers will make theirs. The GLST will make theirs.

Various people may criticise us, spread mis-information about us, question our motives, express their intense dislike for us. Others gently and in love challenge us and encourage us to think through the consequences of actions. I will never be ashamed of the role we’ve played in highlighting the issues of concern. No one will be able to say, “They saw injustice and ignored it”. I believe this is an important part of my faith as a Christian. Yes it’s grievous that this issue has become so public, and it reflects poorly on Christianity in our country. Thankfully many Christians are doing the hard work of trying to make it right. I think the public can see that.

I’ll finish with the words of Dr Wade Mullen in his book Something’s Not Right:

“The victims deserve, and therefore bystanders ought to demand, immediate truth seeking and truth telling. If leadership is governed by truth and not by deception, then they will seek and speak the truth no matter the cost, and if that cost entails lawsuits, falling attendance, or even shuttering the doors of the institution, then it is worth the cost, because the establishment of truth will always matter more than our establishments.”