The Survey

A lot of people have read the newspaper articles about “The Survey”. We are fielding lots of comments and questions about the survey. I am including a post on it for historical purposes. It’s important to be able to look back and track the extraordinary events.

The survey was asking members to fill in a form which would be “counted independently”. Gloriavale gave a statement to the Grey Star and on 23 Aug 2022 they reported at length on how Gloriavale set up the survey, stating that….

“The ballot box was locked by a Greymouth JP, who retained the only key until he opened it for counting on August 17. It was locked in the Gloriavale office overnight under continuous visual and infrared camera surveillance. Five members of the public with no vested interest in the Gloriavale community, including an ex-chief of the Grey District Council were approached to count the votes and the JP oversaw the count and signed the results.”

Two ex-members shared the survey in large forums (including to the media) and are happy for this to be made public:

Many leavers think it would have been more appropriate for Gloriavale to have written a list of the people they DID want to speak on their behalf (Servants and Shepherds,  Trustees, Lawyers, Business contacts etc).

None of the people in the survey gave their permission for their names to appear in Gloriavale’s survey. I have blanked their names out too.  The list is a collection of leavers, people in the “Gloriavale” film, some witnesses in the upcoming employment trial, plaintiffs for other court proceedings, lawyers for the prosecution, supporters of leavers and even includes some people who still live at Gloriavale (although they have been tagged as Gloriavale Leavers because they are in an ex-communicated state, although still living on the property).

Many of them believe this is a black-list. Some say it’s a way of publishing who the “enemies of the church” are, and it also puts pressure on families inside to put up a witness to counter the claims that will be heard in the upcoming court case. To protect the church means to stand against your family.

Final Thoughts:  

I can only imagine GV is in a certain amount of turmoil at present and none of the leavers out here are rubbing their hands with glee over their predicament. Everyone who has left still has people they love inside, and they are currently suffering under huge amounts of stress and strain. The changes that are being forced on them are uncomfortable and is creating instability. Everyone hopes that one day things will look better.

Gloriavale will  have its chance to speak for themselves starting August 29 in the Employment Court. The hearing will go for much of the month of September.

Please be kind to the people at Gloriavale you meet in the street. I’m sad to hear women and children have been harassed or called names. Love them and show them kindness. Many of them have had a hard life in there. Prove to them that the people on the outside aren’t as wicked as they have been told. Make it easier for them to connect with the outside world, and bit by bit their eyes will be opened.

Written by Liz Gregory (any personal views are her own)