Escaping Utopia is a three-part documentary series that first aired on TVNZ 1 in March 2024, later streaming on TVNZ+ and picked up internationally by the BBC and broadcasters across Europe. The series investigates Gloriavale Christian Community, drawing on previously unheard accounts from people who have escaped, as well as rare, on-the-record interviews with current members.
Across its three episodes, Escaping Utopia traces the history of Gloriavale from its origins as a self-described Christian community through to the extreme, tightly controlled place it has become. It follows the practical, often clandestine planning involved in leaving, the risks people take to do so, and the support networks, including the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust, that help them rebuild their lives once they’re out.
The documentary also covers the community’s unravelling leadership and the ongoing pursuit of justice through the courts, including the Employment Court case that found Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd was the legal employer of a group of women fighting for basic workers’ rights.
The series has helped bring wider recognition to the work involved in supporting leavers, and has opened the door to conversations, with government, media, and the public, that might otherwise have taken far longer to happen.
Content warning: the series deals directly with the issue of sexual abuse, and some viewers may find parts of it difficult to watch.
