: | TVNZ | “At about 10 years old, I imagined life outside Gloriavale would look sad and I wouldn’t have any friends … but that’s not true at all.” Angel Pilgrim was 13 years old when she left Gloriavale with her 12 siblings and parents. Now she’s 17, living in…
: | Hesketh Henry | Stephanie Corban | Background BNZ made the decision to close the accounts of 16 entities associated with the Gloriavale Christian Community following a decision by senior management that this action was appropriate given the BNZ’s internal human rights policy. BNZ gave notice to Gloriavale. The various…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | A former Gloriavale member who was sexually abused in the Christian community when she was 13 years old has told her abuser he stole her childhood and her innocence. Gloriavale man Fervent Ben-Canaan was jailed for four years and two months in the Christchurch…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | As a teenager in Gloriavale, Levi Courage worked up to 70 hours a week filling jars of honey until his hands bled so they could be illegally exported to Vietnam. The honey, from Gloriavale company Forest Gold Honey, was exported using forged government…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Those involved in a Gloriavale honey company were “running around like headless chickens” as they committed $200,000 worth of fraud, a judge says. Forest Gold Honey, its director, two employees and an external contractor were accused of falsifying two export health certificates for more…
: | RNZ | Paddy Gower | Former members of the Gloriavale Christian Community are coming to terms with an apology for delivered to those who suffered “pain and suffering” at the commune. Gloriavale leaver John Ready spoke to Paddy Gower.…
: | RNZ | Samantha Gee | Former Gloriavale members say an apology from the community’s leaders is insincere and they have concerns abuse will continue at the West Coast community. Last July, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic Abuse in Care requested Gloriavale publicly apologise to former members for the neglect…
: | NewstalkZB | A Gloriavale leaver has outlined his ‘livid’ reaction to yesterday’s apology from community leader Howard Temple. The Royal Commission of Inquiry requested an apology, after establishing a pattern of abuse. Temple thanked those who’d reported it – and accepted the Commission’s Safety of Care recommendation. But former…
: | RNZ | A Gloriavale leader has made a public apology to the community’s many victims for the historic abuse they suffered. It comes after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic Abuse in Care requested Gloriavale apologise to its members, last July. Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple delivered an apology…
: | Stuff | Shilpy Arora| A West Coast fundamentalist Christian community has offered “deepest apologies” after admitting historic abuse occurred to people in their care over four decades. Gloriavale leaders on Sunday said they were “deeply sorry” after the Royal Commission of Inquiry found abuse took place in the church community…
: | 1News Reporters | Gloriavale leaders say they are “deeply sorry” for historic abuse that took place within the community and has apologised to survivors, saying it failed to provide a safe and supportive environment. An apology letter issued by Howard Temple on behalf of the West Coast commune’s leaders…
: | NZ Herald | Anna Leask | Gloriavale’s leader has made a public apology for any “pain and suffering” experienced by its members. He offered thanks to all members who have reported abuse to New Zealand’s authorities – acknowledging previous leaders breached their trust and did not keep them safe. The apology was…
: | Stuff | A former member of Gloriavale says an apology from leader Howard Temple for historic sexual abuse in the community made him feel physically sick. Temple told Gloriavale members he was sorry for their pain and suffering and admitted past leaders didn’t keep them safe. The public apology…
: | The Front Page | Chelsea Daniels | While The Front Page is on summer break, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest news stories and top-rated episodes from the podcast in 2024. For over 50 years, the secretive Christian community of Gloriavale has fascinated New…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | The conservative West Coast Christian community has had a bad year. It was slated, among others, in the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s final report; yet more of its members appeared in court on sexual, physical assault and fraud charges; and this…
: | Buddle Findlay | Bridie McKinnon, Jacey McGrath | In its recent decision of Bank of New Zealand v The Christian Church Community Trust & Ors, the Court of Appeal has clarified the New Zealand position on whether standards of reasonableness will apply to decisions made in the exercise of a contracting…
: | Interest.Co | Sarah Salmond & Alex Church | What happened? The Court of Appeal’s recent judgment in Bank of New Zealand v The Christian Church Community Trust & Ors [2024] NZCA 645 (BNZ v Gloriavale) clarifies and aligns the legal framework governing the termination of banking relationships in New Zealand, which is commonly…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A 20-year-old man who grew up in the Gloriavale community has died in a suspected suicide. It is the third such death of a young man from the Gloriavale Christian Community since 2018. The man, who had left the community, died at the Paroa Hotel…
: | NZ Herald | A teenager who grew up inside Gloriavale Christian Community has died in a suspected suicide at a West Coast hotel. The 18-year-old man who had left the community was found dead at Greymouth’s Paroa Hotel at 2.30pm on Sunday. A police spokesperson said the sudden death was not being treated as…
: | NZ Herald | Jenée Tibshraeny | Gloriavale is adamant it will continue to operate, even if BNZ closes its accounts. “It will not be the end of the community,” Phil Jamieson, the chief executive of the trust behind the exclusive religious community, told the Herald. The Court of Appeal on…
: | Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust | Gloriavale lost its bid to keep its bank accounts open with BNZ. They have fought this issue in the courts for two years after BNZ indicated it wanted to shut their accounts after a 2022 Employment Court ruling found Gloriavale had been involved in…
: | Lexology | Simpson Grierson | Banks with unwelcome customers will take heart from the recent decision of the Court of Appeal on the debanking of Gloriavale and its related entities. The decision encouraged a literal interpretation of bank terms and conditions which allowed a bank to exit a customer…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A 12-year-old boy has experienced significant hearing loss and “inescapable” ringing in his ears since he was hit in the head with a grubber 10 years ago while working at a Gloriavale dairy farm, a court has heard. Gloriavale man Moses Benjamin was…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A Gloriavale honey company and its director accused of forging documents to illegally export New Zealand honey to Vietnam have had all their charges dropped after the business went into liquidation. West Coast honey producer Forest Gold Honey, owned by Christian Partners Nominee…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | Gloriavale is being held accountable for poor behaviour with its loss in its fight to keep banking with BNZ, the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust says. BNZ has been given the green light to cut its ties with Gloriavale, with the Court of Appeal disposing of…
: | Newstalk ZB | John MacDonald | Audio Transcript as follows: Surely this is the final straw for Gloriavale. Or, more to the point, surely it’s the final straw for the Government. Because it is absolutely shameful that it still exists. This final straw, by the way, is…
: | RNZ | Heather du Plessis-Allan | Yesterday a long running court case came to an end – at least for now. BNZ has won permission to shut down Gloriavale’s bank accounts. Now I actually feel quite uncomfortable about this. I’m no fan of Gloriavale – I’d like to see…
: | NZ Herald | Jenée Tibshraeny| The Court of Appeal has delivered a blistering judgment that could see Gloriavale wind up its operations. It’s decided to dispose of an injunction that prevented BNZ from closing the exclusive religious community’s accounts. BNZ can now close the accounts related to Gloriavale’s various…
: | RNZ | Business | The Court of Appeal has cleared the way for BNZ to close Gloriavale’s bank accounts after successfully appealing an injunction preventing the closures. BNZ wants to terminate its 40-year banking relationship with the reclusive Christian sect, arguing the community breached the bank’s human rights policy after an…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | Gloriavale has lost its fight to keep banking with the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) after two years of legal disputes. In July 2022, BNZ gave notice of its intention to terminate its banking relationship with various companies and entities associated with the Christian…
: | Scoop | Press Release: Ali Jones | The lawyer heading the legal team representing Gloriavale leavers says the Government needs to act now to protect the victims of the leaders. With an appeal court decision on Monday supporting the Bank of New Zealand’s decision in May to close all…
: | Business Desk | Subscription Only | The Court of Appeal has delivered a blistering judgment that could see Gloriavale wind up its operations. The court has upheld an appeal from the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), deciding to dispose of an injunction that had required the bank to keep…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | BNZ is allowed to use its human rights policy to stop providing banking for Gloriavale – a move the isolated settlement’s leaders say will put their community’s existence at risk. The bank’s decision to close Gloriavale’s accounts followed an Employment Court ruling in May…
: | NZ Herald | A manuka honey manufacturer owned by the Gloriavale Christian Community is in liquidation owing more than $1 million. Brenton Hunt of Insolvency Matters was appointed liquidator of Forest Gold Honey Limited on November 27. According to Companies Office records, Alpine Health Manufacturing New Zealand Ltd owns…
: | The Press | Sinead Gill | A West Coast honey producer owes over $1 million after weaker than anticipated sales and failing to find trained staff. Forest Gold Honey is insolvent and has voluntarily entered liquidation, according to a report published by Christchurch liquidator Brenton Hunt on December 3.…
: | RNZ | Morning Report | The Employment Court has ordered Gloriavale’s leader to pay six former members more than $274,000 in legal costs. Barrister Brian Henry spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Listen at the above link.…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd has been ordered to pay six former members who were found to have been Christian community employees more than $274,000 in legal costs. In July 2023, the Employment Court’s chief judge found the women worked extremely hard under punishing conditions for years preparing…
: | Kapitales | Highlights: Manufacturer’s Liquidation Forest Gold Honey, a mānuka honey producer linked to the Gloriavale Christian Community, has entered liquidation. On November 27, Brenton Hunt of Insolvency Matters was appointed as the liquidator. According to Hunt, the company was operated by members of the Gloriavale community. Ownership StructureForest…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Former Gloriavale leavers can now seek compensation after the Employment Court found Gloriavale’s overseeing shepherd was their employer when they worked in the community. Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi Courage successfully proved in the Employment Court in May 2022 that they were employees when…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | A former Gloriavale member wants to be paid for his years of work in the West Coast commune to end what he calls exploitative practices against residents. Hosea Courage spoke to 1News as the Employment Court made a new ruling that could pave the…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd was the employer of three men who worked long hours from the age of six at the West Coast Christian community, the Employment Court has found. Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi Courage were found to have been Gloriavale employees, rather than…
: | The Daily Blog | Ian Powell – Guest Blog | Slaves had existed in both ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. However, the word ‘slavery’ has a subsequent Latin origin, ‘sclava’, meaning “Slavonic captive in reference to the 9th-century slavery of Slavonic people. Over time it came to mean…
: | Scoop Independent News | Ian Powell | Slaves had existed in both ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. However, the word ‘slavery’ has a subsequent Latin origin, ‘sclava’, meaning “Slavonic captive in reference to the 9th-century slavery of Slavonic people. Over time it came to mean anyone in captivity,…
: | NZ Herald | D. J. Gates | What about the abuse at Gloriavale? The Government’s recent Abuse in Care apology rings hollow to those in Gloriavale who continue to live under a regime that enforces misogyny, deliberately entraps its young in the remote central West Coast, miseducates its people and is facing a crisis among its…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills |[Subscription Only] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says consular officials have been in touch with the Gloriavale Christian Community outpost in India. In the recent TVNZ ‘docuseries’, Escaping Utopia, former Gloriavale members travelled to India and met a member who moved there…
: | The Spinoff | Claire Mabey | In light of Gloriavale’s reluctant acceptance of Winnie-the-Pooh, Claire Mabey argues in favour of the wider canon of anthropomorphic animal literature. There is nothing more bleak than the banning of books and the curtailment of reading. Control what people read and you control what…
: | The Post | Wellington Court Reporter | Former Gloriavale members have begun refining their claim of “slavery“ as it heads towards a hearing of allegations that the Crown failed to protect them at the closed community. Four people ‒ Anna Courage, Pearl Valor, Gideon Benjamin and Hosea Courage ‒…
: | RNZ | Lillian Hanly | Survivors of abuse in care arrived at Parliament today to hear the formal apology from the state which oversaw and inflicted harm on children. Public sector leaders from Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Police, and Ministry of Education also apologised, as did the…
: | AWLA | Open Letter | AWLA has written an open letter to the Government urging it to take immediate action to address concerns for the health and safety of wāhine and tamariki residing in Gloriavale Christian Community. In December last year, the Government abandoned a Cabinet-mandated joint agency response…
: | The Press | A recording has emerged of what is believed to be Gloriavale leader Howard Temple allegedly admitting to the community that the Bill of Rights had been breached and that people had been forced to work. The video, leaked to ThreeNews, was recorded in 2022, shortly after some…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Gloriavale families have been cautioned against reading fairy tales, books that celebrate Christmas and children’s stories depicting animals dressed in clothes, by a senior leader checking the community’s reading material. In an email sent to members last month and obtained by RNZ, Servant Peter…
: | NZ Herald | Melissa Nightingale | Lord of the Rings, stories about Christmas and Easter, and nearly all books containing pictures of animals wearing clothes are on the list of reading material considered too “worldly” for Gloriavale’s children. An email leaked from the West Coast Christian community and sent to politicians…
: | NZ Herald | Jenée Tibshraeny | Gloriavale’s viability is looking increasingly shaky as it faces the possibility of being de-banked. BNZ, which has been banking Gloriavale’s various businesses and entities for about 40 years, wants to shut the exclusive religious community’s accounts. It argues Gloriavale has breached its human…
: | Deadline | Max Goldbart, Jesse Whittock | The BBC has picked up a premium doc series on a group of people’s clandestine escape from a New Zealand cult. Escaping Utopia is a three-part investigation into Gloriavale Christian Community – New Zealand’s extreme religious cult – and the true stories of people attempting…
: | Newstalk ZB | Heather Du Plessis-Allan | BNZ is set to head back to court tomorrow as part of their ongoing legal dispute with Gloriavale. If the hearing goes well, the bank could get approval to close the accounts Gloriavale has with BNZ. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee…
: | Timaru Herald | Rachel Comer | Australasia’s first cult conference has had a spin-off for Timaru with an international expert and Gloriavale leavers to speak on the long-lasting impact of breaking free. From Cult To Hope, the first event of its kind in the region, will be held on…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Gloriavale leavers and their advocates have condemned what they say is 30 years of inaction by bureaucrats and politicians, warning the Christian community’s 400 children remain at risk of harm. Speaking at the Decult conference in Christchurch on Sunday, lawyer Dennis Gates also called…
: | RNZ | Morning Report | Gloriavale leavers and their advocates have condemned what they say is 30 years of inaction by bureaucrats and politicians. Jean Edwards reports. Listen at the above link.…
: | Banana Island Films | In this special episode of the Decult Takeover Series, I’m joined by Liz Gregory, the founder of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust, who plays a crucial role in helping survivors of the notorious Gloriavale Christian Community in New Zealand. Liz and her work are featured…
: | RNZ | Anke Richter | Opinion – Cults are a hot topic – from Netflix to the High Court – but the stereotypes that come with them can hurt their victims. Survivor-focused reporting will be addressed at the upcoming Decult Conference in Christchurch. The Press recently ran the headline ‘Burger joint with cult-like following closes’. It took me…
: | Banana Island Films | Interviewee in the new film Escaping Utopia – and founder of Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust joined me in the Decult Takeover series for the ramp up to Decult Cult Awareness Conference in Christchurch New Zealand. Get your live stream tickets now for the Decult Cult…
: | RNZ | Tim Brown | The government and a vast majority of faith-based institutions have missed a key deadline recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. The commissioner’s first time-sensitive recommendation was that the government and faith-based institutions should publish responses to the inquiry’s reports…
: | Woman’s Day | Jo Bailey | When Pearl Valor reflects on the key reasons that led to her and husband Paul breaking away from the reclusive Gloriavale community, one stands out above the rest: “We wanted to give our kids a better life than we had.” Almost three years…
: | RNZ | Amy Easton | Members of an underground sect probed by the FBI want to know how a man with a reputation for being a sexual predator was allowed to continue with the group’s home meetings. The former minister of the cult – known as the Two by…
: | 1News | Reporters | The Government has been criticised for its decision not to advance modern slavery legislation by business and legal experts, sparking concern New Zealand will fall behind other countries by failing to act. In July last year, the Labour government announced a plan to make businesses…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing. A Gloriavale man who has admitted sexual offending against eight girls preyed upon some as they slept and touched them while they were caring for children or working at the Christian community. Fervent Ben-Canaan, 45, pleaded guilty…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A Gloriavale man crept into girls’ bedrooms to touch them while they slept and grabbed them indecently while they worked in the community. Fervent Ben-Canaan, 45, was on trial for 23 charges of sexual offending against 10 victims. He pleaded guilty on the…
: | Ashburton Courier | Susan Sandys | Designing and building furniture is helping Trust Stedfast of Ashburton move on from the pain of leaving loved ones behind. The 28-year-old, with his wife Cherish, left Gloriavale about six months ago after deciding they and their six children ‘‘needed some space’’. Trust…
: | Greymouth Star | Continuing the early winter fire safety initiatives in the Grey Valley, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has been working with the Gloriavale Christian Community to talk about safety and community resilience to emergencies. Over two days in August, FENZ along with Hato Hone St John and West…
: | Stuff | Damien Grant is an Auckland business owner and a regular opinion contributor for Stuff, writing from a libertarian perspective. OPINION: I’ve been thinking about banks recently. Well. Bankers, more precisely. In my profession, I often encounter them in their natural habitat. A remarkably timid breed of failed accountants and nervous…
: | The Press |Joanne Naish | Members of the Gloriavale Christian Community signed a commitment against corporal punishment eight years after it became illegal in New Zealand. The move was revealed in a New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decision about a teacher who hit children with a ruler and hoped…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A former Gloriavale teacher who hit pupils with a ruler believes the school is still not safe for children. Victory Disciple was found guilty of serious misconduct but not censured or ordered to pay costs after the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found it had…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | A young Gloriavale man who was found unresponsive in the Christian community’s paint shop had spoken to his workmates only 20 minutes earlier, an inquest has heard. Sincere Standtrue died at Christchurch Hospital, 10 days later. An inquest is being held to determine the…
: | Ethos | Alex Penk| Case Note | “De-banking” involves a bank terminating a customer’s account and leaving them to find an alternative financial institution—if they can. Banks can close accounts for perfectly legitimate reasons, like bankruptcy, or where an account is used for criminal purposes, or there are insurmountable regulatory…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | An inquest has heard of desperate efforts to save a young Gloriavale man who was found unresponsive in the Christian community’s paint shop in 2018. Sincere Standtrue died at Christchurch Hospital 10 days later. An inquest is being held in Greymouth to determine the…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills |Subscription Only Education specialists have been working with Gloriavale School, with a fresh review due. The school needs to pass the review in order to keep its funding. The Education Review Office visited last October and found the private school was not providing an…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | A former Gloriavale member has told the inquest into the death of a young member in 2018 that the 20-year-old was miserable at the Christian community. Sincere Standtrue died at Christchurch Hospital 10 days after he was found unresponsive at Gloriavale’s paint shop, where…
: | Christianity Today | Isabel Ong | Survivors, advocates, and pastors call for “true repentance” among religious groups that ran schools and homes between 1950 and 1999. Over the next few years, Tagaloa began piecing together long-buried memories and came to recognize that she had been sexually abused between the ages of…
: | Rova | Duncan Garner | From Centrepoint to Gloriavale, some of our most notorious cults will be in the spotlight at ‘Decult’ – Australasia’s first cult awareness conference. It is taking place in Christchurch later this year – the brainchild of investigative journalist and author Anke Richter. Experts and…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | Warning: This story discusses suicide. The brother of a Gloriavale man who died in 2018 has told an inquest he was not aware of his brother being badly bullied at the Christian community. Sincere Standtrue died at Christchurch Hospital, 10 days after he was…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | Warning: This story discusses suicide. A Gloriavale man has told an inquest that he does not believe a young member who died in 2018 took his own life. Sincere Standtrue died at Christchurch Hospital, 10 days after he was found unresponsive at the Christian…
: | NZ Herald | Anna Leask | WARNING: This story deals with suicide. Please see below for help and crisis information. A Gloriavale mother of seven was the last to see Sincere Standtrue alive, interacting with him just 15 minutes before his sudden death. The woman told Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame that Standtrue seemed happy…
: | 1News | Anna Sargent | Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about a Gloriavale man on the day he was found unresponsive in the Christian community in 2018, an inquest has heard. Sincere Standtrue, who was 20, died in hospital after being found unresponsive in Gloriavale’s paint shop where…
: | RNZ | Rachel Graham | One of the leaders of the Gloriavale Christian Community has told an inquest into the death of a young man in 2018 that he never saw any serious bullying of him. Sincere Standtrue, 20, was found unresponsive in Gloriavale’s paint shop where he worked,…
: | RNZ | Checkpoint | Just Standfast was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the offending that took place over a 40 year period inside the secretive Christchurch community. Adam Burns was at the Greymouth District Court, and a warning some of the details in his report are distressing. Audio…
: | Greymouth Star | Subscription Only | Offending over 40 years A former Gloriavale school teacher has been sentenced to four years in prison for sexual offending against 15 girls — five years after he was first convicted of sexually abusing a nine-year-old. In May, Just Standfast pleaded guilty to two charges…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A woman sexually abused by her teacher at Gloriavale says her “heart is full of sorrow” for all the children who suffered brazen sexual abuse and brutal beatings in the isolated community. Just Standfast was sentenced by the Greymouth District Court on Friday…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | A former Gloriavale teacher who abused or assaulted 21 victims has been sentenced to four years in prison. In May, Just Standfast pleaded guilty to two charges of sex violation by unlawful sexual connection against two girls aged seven and 14, 10 charges of…
: | RNZ | Adam Burns | Warning: This story contains content some readers may find distressing. A former Gloriavale teacher who abused and assaulted at least 20 children over a 40-year stretch has left a “terrible, tragic legacy”, a court has heard. Just Standfast was sentenced to four years imprisonment…
: | Stuff | Joanne Naish | A former Gloriavale teacher who openly sexually abused children in his classroom has been sentenced to four years in prison for offending that spanned 40 years. Just Standfast was sentenced by Judge Quentin Hix in the Greymouth District Court on Friday for 23 charges…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | Survivors of abuse in faith-based care are worried perpetrators and institutions won’t be held accountable despite the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse. The inquiry, which reported last month after a six-year investigation, found the moral authority of religious leaders had…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A group of former Gloriavale women have lost a Supreme Court bid to appeal their former leaders’ fight against a ruling that they were employees when they worked in the community. The Appeal Court granted the leaders leave to appeal the Employment Court…
: | The Post | Senthil Nathan | OPINION: It took thousands of years for humans to evolve into civilised societies. The West only abolished slavery a few hundred years ago. In every case it took not just good will, passionate advocacy and even war. It took the law to make the…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | Various government agencies are still looking into the Gloriavale Christian Community’s outpost in India. In the TVNZ ‘docuseries’ Escaping Utopia, which screened in March, former Gloriavale members visited a lady who moved to India seven years ago and now has six children. She was among five women…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A former Gloriavale teacher who was given credit for “previous impeccable good character” when he sexually abused a 9-year-old has now confessed to further offending against 20 children. Just Standfast has been convicted of sexual offending against 15 girls. He pleaded guilty in…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A woman who claims she was enslaved at Gloriavale from birth says an apology without accountability is “pointless”. The Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s final report recommended Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple issue a formal apology for neglect and abuse in Gloriavale. The inquiry…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | The Abuse in Care Royal Commission recommendations include steps that would prevent someone like Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian — who returned to lead the community after being jailed for sex offending — from ever happening again. The inquiry’s 3000-page final report, released yesterday, estimated 200,000…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards| The government has been urged to immediately do everything it can to ensure the safety of Gloriavale members and their children as a result of Royal Commission findings that leaders allowed physical and sexual abuse at the West Coast Christian community. The Overseeing Shepherd has also been called on…
: | RNZ | Checkpoint | The Royal Commission into Abuse in Care has urged the government to do everything it can to ensure the safety of Gloriavale members and their children. The inquiry found Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd and senior leaders at fault for allowing physical and sexual abuse at the…
: RedPR At 9.30am today Thursday July 25, a number of issues are back before the Employment Court in Christchurch. This hearing is set down for two days. Matters will be heard in Courtroom 13 on Level 2 in the Justice and Emergency Precinct, 20 Lichfield St. #1 On May 10,…
: | RNZ | Tim Brown | At least 200,000 people have been abused, and even more neglected, by the state and faith-based institutions since 1950. The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’s 3000-page final report has been made public on Wednesday afternoon, laying bare the scale of failure of…
: | Otago Daily Times | Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter | The abuse and neglect of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders in the care of state- and faith-based institutions has been branded “a national disgrace”. The long-awaited report of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission, six years in the making, has been released…
: | RNZ | Midday Report | A support group for Gloriavale leavers says there will be an “underground murmuring” within the community today in the wake of news that former members are bringing a lawsuit against leaders with allegations of slavery. Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust manager Liz Gregory spoke to…
: | Stuff | Juliet Speedy | A multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit has been filed against Gloriavale and five government agencies, by former members who claim they were held as slaves. As Senior reporter Juliet Speedy explains, the lawsuit could impact nearly a thousand past and present members of the Christian…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | A multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit has been filed against Gloriavale and five government agencies by former members who claim they were held as slaves from birth by the Christian community’s leaders. Anna Courage, Pearl Valor, Gideon Benjamin and Hosea Courage are also seeking a…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | On a winter morning six years ago to the day, Anna Courage left Gloriavale, packed off to Australia and a totally foreign world. At 17 and deeply unhappy, the Christian community’s leaders sent her to live with grandparents she had never met. “It was…
: | Greymouth Star | A Gloriavale man and former teacher inside the Lake Haupiri Christian community has denied 14 charges of assaulting boys with blunt weapons. Vigilant Standtrue, 42, filed pleas of not guilty on all charges in the Greymouth District Court, electing a trial by jury. Name suppression lapsed…
: | RNZ | NewstalkZB | Several former Gloriavale workers are planning to sue the Crown for negligence. Members of the group have accused public servants of knowing about the slave labour within the community – and refusing to do anything about it. Lawyer Brian Henry says these public servants knew…
: | The Post | Wellington Court Reporter | Former Gloriavale “slaves” are preparing to sue the Crown for not protecting them at the closed community. The case has yet to begin but the intended plaintiff wants details about an inter-departmental committee set up nine years ago to look at the…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills |Subscription Only Police have spent over a quarter of a million dollars on Gloriavale, and are one of just 10 Government agencies involved in the under-pressure community at Lake Haupiri. The Greymouth Star revealed last month the likes of the police, Health NZ and…
: | RNZ | Jenee Tibshraeny | Gloriavale has taken a knock in its battle to maintain access to banking services. BNZ has been trying to close Gloriavale’s accounts for the last two years, and the Court of Appeal is allowing BNZ to challenge that injunction. NZ Herald Wellington business editor…
: | NZ Herald | Jenée Tibshraeny | Gloriavale has taken a knock in its battle to maintain access to banking services. The Court of Appeal has allowed BNZ to challenge an interim injunction that requires the bank to keep Gloriavale’s accounts open until a trial determines whether BNZ can terminate its relationship with…
: | The Press | Philip Mathews | Janja Lalich lives in northern California, across the bay from San Francisco. An ideal spot, you might think, for a specialist on cults. This is where some of the worst flourished. There was Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple and, further down the coast, Charles Manson’s Family and…
: | Timaru Herald | Rachel Comer | Gloriavale leaver Lianna MacFarlane started working as a cleaner at Timaru’s U-Bake three years ago. Now a baking apprentice at the popular South Canterbury bakery, she is also an award-winning pie maker, with her chicken and leek pie coming second at the recent…
: | Outside of Sunday Podcast | In the final chapter of our conversation with Rosie from Gloriavale, we delve into the reconciling of her faith outside of the abusive cult. Rosie details her intense emotional struggles, including daily panic attacks, and the liberating feeling of finally being free, a year…
: | RNZ | A Gloriavale leaver has come second in an iconic national pie making contest after starting out as a cleaner in a Timaru bakery and working her way up to the night manager’s job. Lianna MacFarlane had not even made pies before her boss insisted that she should…
: | Outside of Sunday Podcast | In part 2 of our conversation with Rosie from Gloriavale, we’re diving deep into the truth of the practice of Christianity inside the reclusive sect. Rosie bravely shares about knowing at an early age that there was something very wrong within the community. In…
: | The Press | Phillip Matthews | Is New Zealand a little bit culty? That question will be asked at the International Cultic Studies Association conference in Barcelona, Spain, next month. That may not be how New Zealand likes to see itself on the world stage. Yet it indicates how…
: | Scoop Business | Plains FM 96.9 | Cult Chat has won Best Community Access Programme for 2024 at the NZ Radio and Podcast Awards announced in Auckland last night (6 June 2024). Christchurch-based co-host Dr. Caroline Ansley runs the Centrepoint Restoration Project and along with Lindy Jacomb from Olive Leaf Network…
: | Outside of Sunday Podcast | Gloriavale is a reclusive and abusive ‘Christian’ community in the remote South Island of New Zealand. In the first part of our conversation with Rosanna Overcomer, who was born into the community, Rosie shares what her childhood looked like inside Gloriavale. We discuss schooling,…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Police are considering whether to criminally charge Gloriavale leaders with failing to protect children from sexual harm. Police became aware of intergenerational harmful sexual behaviour at the Gloriavale Christian Community in 2015, a Coroner has heard. Detective Senior Sergeant Kirsten Norton said Gloriavale’s…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | The final video played in the inquest into a Gloriavale man’s death was a tribute to his life, compiled by his family. Sincere Standtrue died in Christchurch Hospital in November 2018, after being found unresponsive in the paint shop at Gloriavale Christian Community 10 days…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | Warning: This story discusses suicide. A former Gloriavale member has told an inquest into her brother’s death that sometimes “it can feel easier to die” than to try and leave the West Coast Christian community. Sincere Standtrue, who was 20, was found unresponsive in Gloriavale’s paint…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | A sister of Gloriavale man Sincere Standtrue says a community leader told her family just hours after he was found unresponsive that he did not want WorkSafe involved. Rose Standtrue has given evidence at the Greymouth inquest into the 20-year-old’s death in Christchurch Hospital’s intensive care…
: | NZ Herald | Anna Leask | WARNING: This story deals with suicide. Please see below for help and crisis information. A coroner has been told a young Gloriavale man was bullied, mocked, beaten, excluded and “looked down on” before his sudden death. Sincere Standtrue was deaf and had other physical and…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | Gloriavale man Sincere Standtrue was often isolated, shamed, bullied and beaten at the West Coast Christian community, his sister says. Rose Standtrue has given evidence at the Greymouth inquest into the 20-year-old’s death in Christchurch Hospital’s intensive care unit, 10 days after he was found unresponsive…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | A senior police detective has told an inquest into the death of the Gloriavale man that it is believed he was subject to harmful sexual behaviour in the Christian community. Sincere Standtrue, who was 20, died in November 2018 following nine days in Christchurch Hospital’s intensive…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | A toxicologist has told a court he cannot rule out the possibility that a Gloriavale man may have been huffing paint and other chemical fumes. Sincere Standtrue, who was 20, died in Christchurch Hospital following nine days in the intensive care unit in 2018.…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | The first witness in the inquest into the death of a Gloriavale man says the community’s paint shop where he worked failed to consistently uphold health and safety standards. Sincere Standtrue died aged 20 in Christchurch Hospital in November 2018, following nine days of…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A coroner’s inquest into the sudden death of a 20-year-old man in the Gloriavale Christian Community has opened in Greymouth. Sincere Standtrue died on November 2, 2018 in Christchurch Hospital. Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame opened the inquest in the Greymouth District Court on Monday by…
: | NZ Herald | Anna Leask | WARNING: This story deals with suicide. Please see below for help and crisis information. A coroner will hear from 52 witnesses about the death of a young man at Gloriavale as she determines whether he took his own life or died accidentally while practising a…
: | RNZ | Niva Chittock | An inquest into the death of a 20-year-old Gloriavale man has begun today in Greymouth. Sincere Standtrue died in Christchurch Hospital in November 2018, the eldest in his family of 11 siblings. From the age of 15, he worked in the Christian community’s paint…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Gloriavale man is facing 14 charges of assaulting four boys with blunt weapons. Vigilant Standtrue, 42, was granted interim name suppression at his first appearance in April. He previously taught at the school at the Gloriavale Christian Community and still lives there. He did not…
: | The Dom Harvey Podcast | Rosie Overcomer was born and raised in Gloriavale. She left 11 years ago at the age of 26 with her husband Elijah and their 3 young children. Since then, they have had three more children and life looks very different to how it did…
: | Sunday Star Times | Joanne Naish | Donations for a documentary on Australasia’s first cult awareness conference in Christchurch this year have reached more than half of the directors’ target in just two days. Christchurch film-makers Robyn Jordaan and Caleb MacDonald are crowdfunding to create a documentary about the Decult…
: | Timaru Herald | Doug Sail | The flawed upbringing of young people at the Gloriavale Christian Community has been highlighted as a young man has been spared convictions on sex charges involving children, all committed when he was aged 14 to 15. The man, who was also granted permanent…
: | Greymouth Star | Ariana Stewart | Subscription Only David Ready escaped Gloriavale. Twins, Tane Mahuta and Te Akaraupo Heke Pakeha, are survivors of family violence. Pania Tepaiho-Marsh started hunting for her own mental health and now leads hunting excursions for women in need. They are just three of the…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | Subscription Only At least 10 government agencies and six cabinet ministers now have oversight of the under-pressure Gloriavale Christian Community at Lake Haupiri. The likes of the police, Health NZ and Oranga Tamariki have teams working at the 600-strong community each week. The…
: | Greymouth Star | Gloriavale Christian Community has been granted permission to appeal an Employment Court ruling that found girls were employees and entitled to minimum entitlements. Last year, the court ruled that six former Gloriavale women had actually been employees working under punishing conditions for years on end at…
: | 1News Reporters | The religious sect Gloriavale has won leave to appeal a key Employment Court decision over whether it needs to pay its followers. The commune has long argued its members are volunteers. But last year, it lost a case brought by six women, a judge finding they…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A Gloriavale leaver is calling for an end to “slavery” in the community with a challenge to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Pearl Valor was one of six women who successfully argued in the Employment Court that they were employees when they worked in the West…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Gloriavale leaders have been granted leave to appeal an Employment Court case that ruled a group of women were employees when they worked in the community. The leaders – Howard Temple, Stephen Steadfast, Samuel Valor, Faithful Pilgrim and Noah Hopeful – went to the Appeal…
: | Newshub| | RNZ | Amy Williams | Warning: This story discusses details of sexual abuse A New Zealand woman who as a child was sexually abused by a member of a secretive sect under investigation by the FBI says the religious group’s leaders spent three years trying to get the man…
: | RNZ | Amy Williams | Former members of a secretive sect under investigation by the FBI for historical child sexual abuse warn it is a highly controlling and insular group with many unwritten rules. The religious group has about 2500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand, meets in…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | A cross-agency group is working to establish facts about the Gloriavale Christian Community’s outpost in India. In the recent TVNZ ‘docuseries’, Escaping Utopia, former Gloriavale members Theophila Pratt and Rosanna Overcomer travelled to India and met with Mr Pratt’s sister Precious. Precious moved…
: | Radio Rhema | Interview with Liz Gregory | Escaping Utopia is a brand new docuseries that’s been released by TVNZ which uncovers New Zealand’s most extreme religious cult, Gloriavale, and the true stories of people attempting to break free. Liz Gregory, who is the manager of the Gloriavale Leavers…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | The trust behind the remote Gloriavale Christian Community took a $12 million revenue hit last year, but its net assets remain stable at $46m. The West Coast religious community has come under fire in recent years after court findings of sexual and physical abuse,…
: | The Press | Dennis Gates | Dennis Gates is a lawyer and member of the legal team fighting for the people of Gloriavale. OPINION: It’s been a few weeks since TV’s Escaping Utopia brought the terrible thing that is Gloriavale into our living rooms once again. Is the outcry and horror still…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Gloriavale’s school will now use outsiders to teach the official New Zealand curriculum to its 139 school-aged children. Private schools do not have to teach the NZ curriculum and the Education Review Office (ERO) previously noted the school’s curriculum reflected the community’s Christian philosophy.…
: | RNZ | Gloriavale Christian School on the West Coast has been warned its plan for how it will comply with Ministry of Education standards is not viable. In October, the Education Review Office put out a highly critical report, saying the school was not providing an adequate education for a private…
: | The New Zealand Herald | Shane Te Pou | OPINION: An hour out of Greymouth, in the foothills of the Southern Alps, there is a cancer. A community that lawyer Brian Henry calls a “sex cult cloaked in Christianity”. A place founded by a sex offender, who was jailed and then…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | A majority of New Zealanders surveyed believe closed Christian community Gloriavale is “essentially a cult” and should be shut down. That’s according to the a first-of-its-kind test of public opinion curated by Talbot Mills, which asked people what should happen to the controversial West…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Two groups of former Gloriavale employees have failed in a bid to have their $5.2 million claim for compensation and lost earnings heard by the Employment Court. The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has decided it will hear the matter instead. However, they are…
: | Greymouth Star | The Employment Court says working out how much money Gloriavale leavers are owed may be challenging. The court recently ruled that Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim, and Levi Courage were actually employees, clearing the way for them to pursue claims in the Employment Relations Authority for compensation,…
: | Newshub | Michael Morrah | Check out the News Report Gloriavale, the Christian commune on the West Coast linked to claims of slave labour, is seeking formal approval to bring in workers from overseas. But a group supporting those who leave the community have called the request “extraordinary” and…
: | Answers Within | YouTube | A poignant visual representation to raise awareness of the victims who have suffered within the Gloriavale Community. Flags are placed on the driveway into Gloriavale, representing the survivors, the voiceless of Gloriavale. Official numbers released by Police indicate 400 offences with 3/4 of those…
: | Broadcast | ‘As a contemporary cult story, this is unlike anything I have ever seen’ Distributor Fifth SeasonProducer Warner Bros International Television Production New ZealandLength 3 x 60 minutesBroadcaster TVNZ (New Zealand) Into the thriving sub-genre of documentaries about cults comes Escaping Utopia, a three-part exposé of the Gloriavale Christian Community, which operates on New Zealand’s South Island. Co-director Natalie Malcon is no…
: | 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…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | After years of allegations of forced labour, slavery, and sexual and physical abuse, the future of Gloriavale is being considered by its former residents. The Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust has released a discussion document, where it asks what needs to happen if the West Coast…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Leavers are calling for any closure of the Gloriavale community to be gradual and supported, with all assets sold and the proceeds given to residents and those who have left. The Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust has released a document written in consultation with…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | A former Gloriavale resident believes the commune’s leadership is manipulative, and “the only option is to shut the place down for the sake of the kids”. Theo Pratt contributed to a discussion document put forward by the Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust, which asked ex-members what would happen…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | The Government says another layer of bureaucracy is not needed at Gloriavale. It emerged recently that a Gloriavale West Coast Stakeholder Group, which included police, Work Safe NZ and Oranga Tamariki, had been disbanded. However, Gloriavale said last week it was working to…
: | NZ Herald | Jean Edwards | Work to protect members of the Gloriavale Christian community from exploitation and abuse could lose momentum with the end of an all-of-government response, ministers have been told. The joint agency response was set up by the former Labour government in August 2022 to…
: | NZ Christian Network | Dr Stuart Lange | The current TV series Escaping Utopia is somewhat sensationalist and has its own biases, but it has usefully highlighted some serious issues in the Gloriavale Christian Community. Many secular New Zealanders may wonder if Gloriavale is what all Christians are like.…
: | Greymouth Star | Subscription Only| ‘All members have bank accounts’ Gloriavale says it is still working with numerous agencies, and its priority is ensuring its children are well cared for. The community has been back in the spotlight this week, thanks to a new documentary on Tv One. It…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | The son of Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian is calling on the Government to work with the victims, not just the leadership. The community’s leaders have issued a statement saying it is continuing to comply with key outcomes set by an all-of-Government taskforce which was…
: New Zealand women are “trapped” in Gloriavale’s community in India without access to passports – and many of their children have no birth certificates. Police are looking into concerns about the welfare of women born in Gloriavale who now live in the community set up in India in about 2009…
: | Stuff | Amberleigh Jack | RECAP: Fair warning, watch the final episode of Escaping Utopia when you can afford to spend the rest of the day emotionally wrecked. It’s in part three that a sojourn to India reveals Kiwi Gloriavale members “trapped” in the Indian chapter. They’re forgotten by the outside world…
: | RNZ | Tim Brown | Authorities are investigating concerns from a leading human rights lawyer that women from Gloriavale were trafficked to India and entered coerced marriages. Last night on TVNZ’s docuseries, Escaping Utopia, former Gloriavale members Theophila Pratt and Rosanna Overcomer travelled to India and met with Pratt’s sister…
: | RNZ | Ingrid Hipkiss | A leading lawyer is taking multiple government departments to court for delays in tackling abuse at the Christian Community of Gloriavale. Barrister Brian Henry has filed proceedings against Oranga Tamariki, the Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Social Development and Labour Inspectorate, after sending…
: |Woman’s Day | Real Life |Profile: Jo Bailey Despite an extreme campaign to drive them apart, Rosie and Elijah Overcomer escaped to a new life together. It takes immense bravery to leave the confines of an insular, tightly knit community like Gloriavale. Especially when it’s the only life you’ve ever…
: | The Spinoff | Anke Richter | The new docuseries reveals shocking new information about the global expansion of the cult – which somehow still has charitable status in New Zealand. When I visited Gloriavale for the first time to endure their last concert – a Disney-style variety show with overtones of…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | Gloriavale’s commune in India has come to the attention of the New Zealand Police. The TVNZ documentary Escaping Utopia revealed the existence of the offshoot in a remote part of southern India, home to five Kiwi women, their husbands and children. In a statement…
: | Newshub | Michael Morrah | Police, Oranga Tamariki, and Immigration officials are looking into allegations of coerced marriages, rape and human trafficking at Gloriavale’s sister community in India. Investigations Correspondent Michael Morrah has more…
: | Newshub | Michael Morrah | Warning: The following article discusses sexual assault. Police, Oranga Tamariki, foreign affairs and Immigration officials are looking into concerns about human trafficking, coerced marriages and alleged rape at Gloriavale’s sister community in India. It comes after two former members of the West Coast commune…
: | RNZ | Checkpoint | A leading human rights lawyer says authorities are investigating whether women were trafficked from Gloriavale and entered into forced marriages in India. Last night on TVNZ’s docuseries, Escaping Utopia, former Gloriavale members Theophila Pratt and Rosanna Overcomer travelled to India and met with Ms Pratt’s…
: | Newstalk ZB | The leader of the Opposition says he finds the West Coast Christian community Gloriavale abhorrent. A new documentary series exploring the origins and controversies surrounding the secretive commune has begun airing on TVNZ. Some members have fled in recent years and several are taking Gloriavale to…
: | RNZ | The Detail | Gen McClure| Listen to RNZ The Gloriavale offshoot in India is home to Kiwi women and children. A former member of the sect says getting them out of there is urgent. When Theo Pratt saw her sister in India’s Gloriavale outpost last year, she…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Four government agencies are being accused of knowingly allowing abuse to happen at Gloriavale, in High Court action brought by a leavers’ lawyer who describes the community as a “sex cult cloaked in Christianity”. Barrister Brian Henry has filed proceedings against Oranga Tamariki, the…
: | NZ Herald | Emma Gleason | In a covert visit captured by Escaping Utopia, two former members of Gloriavale – accompanied by an undercover camera crew – go inside the gates of the organisation’s Indian outpost. Gloriavale is lodged firming, infamously in the New Zealand psyche. By now Kiwis are very familiar…
: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | A lawyer representing Gloriavale leavers’ is taking legal action against Government departments, claiming they knowingly allowed abuse to occur at the West Coast commune. In a letter dated December 6 and released to 1News under the Official Information Act, lawyer Brian Henry wrote to…
: | NZ Herald | Matt Nippert | Controversial West Coast religious community Gloriavale has seen income slump as it grapples with legal challenges ranging from its school operations and employment practices to its banking facilities. The Christian Church Community Trust, the umbrella organisation under which the 500-strong West Coast community of Gloriavale operates,…
: | Stuff | Amberleigh Jack | RECAP: Before opening credits even begin to roll, part two of the new Gloriavale documentary hits with a brutal insight into lives within of the South Island Christian community. It’s a difficult, uncomfortable watch, that’s even tougher to turn away from. Through off-camera commentary, the viewer is…
: | NZ Herald | Lincoln Tan | Living in isolation in a closeted community has given members of the Gloriavale Christian sect an accent that is “unique and distinct”, a linguistic expert says. Gloriavale has been under the spotlight with a three-part documentary series called Escaping Utopiacurrently airing on TVNZ 1. There are about…
: | RNZ| The Detail| The Gloriavale offshoot in India is home to Kiwi women and children. A former member of the sect says getting them out of there is urgent. Listen to Theo Pratt and Rosie Overcomer share insights from their visit to the Indian community. They are joined by…
: | 1 News Reporters | YouTube Link A group of Gloriavale leavers have explained why they decided to speak out in a new documentary released by TVNZ this week. Escaping Utopia is a three-part documentary speaking to leavers of the sect, giving unprecedented access to Gloriavale’s inner workings, the unravelling…
: | RNZ | First Up The director of a three-part Gloriavale documentary says members of the isolated West Coast community “live like life is frozen in an oppressive communist regime in the 1970s”. Justin Pemberton’s “Escaping Utopia” follows members of the community who want to escape and have escaped Gloriavale…
: | 1 News | Ryan Boswell | The psychological, physical, and emotional abuse at Gloriavale is “not just clickbait entertainment”, Liz Gregory from the Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust says. Escaping Utopia is a three-part documentary speaking to leavers of the sect, giving unprecedented access to Gloriavale’s inner workings, the unravelling of…
: | The Spinoff | Tara Ward | TVNZ’s new documentary series about leaving the West Coast religious community isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a necessary one. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Pilgrim Christian is driving along a gravel road in…
: | NZ Herald | Rachel Maher | Former MP Catherine Delahunty has revealed her brush with the Gloriavale community left her “disturbed” and “heartbroken” for the women there. The ex-Green MP said during a 2015 visit to the West Coast Christian community she witnessed institutionalised misogyny that left women without…
: | NZ Herald | A new documentary has revisited the origins of the Gloriavale Christian Community, as ongoing legal challenges continue to threaten the secretive commune’s future. The first episode of Escaping Utopia aired on TVNZ 1 last night, with two more episodes to follow tonight and tomorrow. Series co-director Justin Pemberton…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Hundreds of people have fled Gloriavale in recent years amid disturbing revelations of physical and sexual abuse against children, and allegations of slavery. Could the reclusive religious community collapse, and what impact would that have? Joanne Naish investigates. When Rosanna Overcomer and her…
: | Stuff | Amberleigh Jack | RECAP: It’s all too easy to look at any situation where someone – especially women – appear oppressed, controlled or abused and think, “why don’t they just leave”? But the first part of the documentary series, Escaping Utopia, explores the planning that goes into the clandestine escapes from the…
: | Newstalk ZB |The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Description The insular Greymouth community of Gloriavale has kept Kiwis enthralled as testimonies keep emerging. A new TVNZ documentary, Escaping Utopia, promises to unveil the stories of people who’ve left the community- and the struggles they’ve endured. Co-director Justin Pemberton says Gloriavale…
: | NZ Herald | Emma Gleason | What’s it like to leave Gloriavale? A new TVNZ documentary, Escaping Utopia, seeks to answer that question and one former member, Theophila Pratt, tells the Herald what her exit was really like. “You were trying to save yourself all the time,” Theophila Pratt says of her…
: | Scoop |Press Release |Dennis Gates Voyeurs of New Zealand, your next Gloriavale fix is here. Drip fed on TVNZ over three consecutive nights, Escaping Utopia brings into living rooms across the country, the desperate attempts to get away from the West Coast cult. Once again, the reality of life in Gloriavale…
: | RNZ | Saturday Morning | Around 600 people (including around 350 children) currently live at Gloriavale – a strict Christian community on the West Coast. Listen to the interview Escaping Utopia airs at 8.30pm on Sunday 24 March and continues Monday and Tuesday. Overcomer, who left Glorivale with her family in…
: | More FM | The Breakfast Club | Escaping Utopia premieres on Sunday, March 24 at 8.30pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, and continues Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26. More Info Here www.gloriavaleleavers.org.nz…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | The Timaru-based Gloriavale Leavers Trust will base a staff member on the West Coast from next month. Kathryn Tuck lives near Gloriavale and the leavers’ trust says she has been instrumental in supporting many people inside and outside of Gloriavale for over eight…
: | RNZ | The formal all-of-government response to the Gloriavale Christian community on the South Island’s West Coast has come to an end. Nine agencies were involved in the group, including police, WorkSafe and Oranga Tamariki, led by the West Coast Regional Public Service Commissioner. It was established in August…
: | 1 News | Ryan Boswell | Former Workplace Relations Minister Michael Wood wants an all-of-government response to the controversial Gloriavale community. He said the leadership of the sect has “not acted in a way that creates an environment of trust”. A previously mandated joint response ended last December. Ministry…
: | 1 News | Ryan Boswell | The secretive commune of Gloriavale now has less official oversight, with a co-ordinated multi-agency response looking at issues raised by leavers, investigations and court cases no longer active. Now, the former Workplace Minister, Michael Wood, who helped oversee that work has spoken for…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | Ten government agencies monitoring the Gloriavale community are no longer required to meet fortnightly. The all-of-Government response to the remote West Coast community, looking at issues raised by leavers, employment and education investigations and criminal court cases is no longer active since the end…
: | Greymouth Star | Subscription Only | A former Gloriavale “predator’’ found guilty of multiple historical sexual offences against girls and boys as young as six was yesterday jailed for 11 years and 10 months. A Greymouth District Court jury took two weeks late last year to find Jonathan Benjamin, 58, guilty…
: | The Listener | Russell Baillie | Subscription Only Escaping Utopia is another documentary about Gloriavale, the religious community that has attracted prying cameras for decades. But its makers say the three-part series finally tells the whole story. When Natalie Malcon made Heaven and Hell – The Centrepoint Story, her devastating award-winning…
: | RNZ | Anna Sargent | Victims of a sexual predator in the Gloriavale Christian community who has now been jailed have described him as an opportunist who used the vulnerability of his victims to exploit them. Jonathan Benjamin was sentenced in the Greymouth District Court to 11 years and…
: | RNZ: Checkpoint | Victims of a predator in the Gloriavale Christian community have described him as an opportunist who used the vulnerability of his victims to exploit them. Jonathan Benjamin has been sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison for more than 20 charges of sexual offending…
: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A victim of child sex abuse in Gloriavale is calling for the Government to take action to protect children in the Christian community, saying the court has proved multiple times that it “isn’t a safe place”. Virginia Courage spoke after the sentencing of…
: | Stuff | TV Guide | Local documentary Escaping Utopia explores the planning that goes into clandestine escapes from Gloriavale, with the help of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust. Screening across three nights, the series reveals new information from former and current members of the controversial religious community and seeks to…
: | NZ Herald: Grace Odlum | When Rosie Overcomer looked at her newborn daughter’s face for the first time, she was overwhelmed with fear. She was afraid of her daughter having the same upbringing as she had, in a place where women weren’t valued as highly as men – Gloriavale,…
: | 1News Reporters | The isolated West Coast commune of Gloriavale will again come into sharp focus as former members’ desperate attempts to escape air on TVNZ later this month. Across three nights, Escaping Utopia will reveal the careful planning involved in clandestine escapes from the fundamentalist Christian sect –…
: |Greymouth Star| Subscription Only | A new three-part investigation into Gloriavale will screen on TV One later this month. The brand-new docuseries — Escaping Utopia — is fronted by journalist Melanie Reid, who went undercover there in 1994. “I have done hundreds of television stories in the last two decades but this…
: TVNZ Press Release: Scoop New Zealand’s most extreme religious cult, Gloriavale, and the true stories of people attempting to break free, are the subject of a brand-new docuseries – Escaping Utopia – screening this March on TVNZ. In a worldwide premiere, screening across three captivating nights, Escaping Utopia documents the intricate planning that goes…
: | Greymouth Star |Subscription Only|Laura Mills Gloriavale’s charitable trust has reported a $766,000 surplus for the year. That is well down on a $3.4m surplus recorded last year, and $2.29m before that. Total income was $15.8m, compared to $27m last year. It had revenue of almost $16m, administration costs of $893,000…
: Commentary on recent employment law decisions relating to the Gloriavale Christian Community is included in the latest updating of Employment Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters) on Westlaw New Zealand. Temple v Pilgrim (CA) In Temple v Pilgrim [2023] NZCA 631, an application for leave to appeal from an Employment Court decision that six female “Teams”…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | Subscription Only The Gloriavale Christian Community is going to get a cellphone signal for the first time at its remote site inland of Nelson Creek. The Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) has applied to the Grey District Council to install a cell tower near Lake Haupiri.…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills The Ministry of Education says it is meeting regularly with the Gloriavale School staff following a highly critical Education Review Office report threw doubt on its registration as a private school. Gloriavale Christian School has a roll of 139. However, ERO said almost 20%…
: | Greymouth Star | Gloriavale Christian Community’s elderly spiritual leader Howard Temple, who is facing over 20 historic charges of sexual off ending, will be briefly allowed back at the community’s Lake Brunner satellite site this Sunday. An application to vary the 83-year-old’s bail conditions was filed with Judge Stephen…
: | Maree Buscke | Reality Check Radio | Liz Gregory, General Manager of Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust joins Maree Buscke to share the story of the Leavers’ landmark Employment Court case.…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A group of nine former Gloriavale members found to have been employees have lodged an Employment Relations Authority claim against the Christian community for lost wages and compensation believed to total $5.2 million. Supporters of the six women and three men are calling for…
: | Greymouth Star Online article | A 32-year-old Gloriavale father of seven was yesterday sentenced to home detention over “stealthful’’ sexual offending committed 16 years ago inside the isolated Christian community at Lake Haupiri. Ready Standtrue, who was born and raised at Gloriavale, was 16 and 17 years old when…
: Alison Maelzer and Kirby Kleingeld | HRD NZ | Intention of parties not determinative of relationship, says court The employment status of a worker is a concept that has long been contested and is challenging to determine for many, especially with flexible working arrangements and the so-called ‘gig economy’. An…
: By Laura Mills | Greymouth Star: Article Online | 18 December 2023 The Gloriavale Christian Community has been under siege all year, with a raft of legal action ongoing into 2024. It is waiting to hear whether it has been granted leave to appeal an Employment Court decision, upheld last…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | The Employment Court has ruled that a group of women who took a case against Gloriavaleleaders were employed by the Overseeing Shepherd. It means that former employees of the community can seek compensation and back payfrom the current Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple. Employment Court…
: Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd was the ultimate controlling force as the employer of six women who worked on the Christian community’s domestic teams, the Employment Court has found. Chief judge Christina Inglis found Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage…
: Anna Leask | NZ Herald | The Employment Court has formally recognised that the “Overseeing Shepherd” of Gloriavale was the boss of six women who worked at the secretive Christian commune. And the person in that role is “liable to account for any alleged breaches” against the women. Earlier this year the…
: 1News | Video | The Employment Court has formally recognised the “Overseeing Shepherd” of Gloriavale was the boss of six women who worked at the secretive Christian commune, making the person in that role “liable to account for any alleged breaches” against the women. Listen to the News Report here:…
: | Greymouth Star | Subscription only: Greymouth Star A former Gloriavale man admitted damaging Blaketown’s ‘pink church’ — a gay celebration — when he appeared in the Greymouth District Court yesterday. Redeemed Standfast, 19, who left the Gloriavale Christian Community a year ago, was supported in court by his father…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A woman who was sexually violated as a child by a predator in the Gloriavale christian community says she has carried the trauma silently for too long. Jonathan Benjamin, 58, was found guilty of 11 charges of sexual offending against four girls and not…
: Inside Government NZ | Public Service | NZ Police has welcomed the verdicts returned in Greymouth District Court yesterday, where a man has been found guilty for multiple historical sexual offences at Gloriavale. A 58-year-old man was found guilty of 11 charges of sexual offending against four out of five…
: | RNZ | A 58-year-old man has been found guilty of multiple historical sexual offences at Gloriavale. The verdicts against Jonathan Benjamin, delivered in Greymouth District Court, relate to 11 charges of sexual offending against four people at the Christian community between 1986 and 2017. Benjamin, who had already admitted…
: Raphael Franks | NZ Herald | A 58-year-old man has been found guilty of committing sexual offences at reclusive Christian community Glorivale, some of which were historical charges dating back to the 1980s. The Greymouth District Court found the man guilty on 11 recent charges today and referred him for sentencing next…
: | RNZ | Gloriavale’s bid to appeal against a ruling that six former members were Christian community employees rather than volunteers has been largely dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Chief Employment Court judge Christina Inglis found the women worked extremely hard under punishing conditions for years on end, in…
: Joanne Naish | Stuff | Gloriavale leaders have been refused the chance to appeal on four grounds against anEmployment Court case that ruled a group of women were employees when they worked inthe community.However, the Court of Appeal says it needs more information before it decides whether togrant leave to…
: | Hesketh Henry | Whether accessibility to banking services is a fundamental right is an issue that is currently before the High Court in the dispute between Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and the Christian Church Community Trust, more commonly known as the Gloriavale Christian Community (Gloriavale). So far, the…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | Jonathan Benjamin, 58, is facing a jury trial in the Greymouth District Court for offending that allegedly happened in the Gloriavale Christian community from 1989 to 2017 at Haupiri and Springbank, the cult’s original site at Springbank, near Christchurch. He has pleaded not guilty…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A jury has heard disturbing evidence from a self-confessed child sex offender about how he touched young girls, but had consensual “affairs” with others. Jonathan Benjamin, 58, is facing a jury trial in the Greymouth District Court for offending that allegedly happened in the Gloriavale…
: Blair Ensor | Stuff | A major police investigation into abuse at Gloriavale has identified more than 100 potential victims of crimes spanning about four decades, Stuff can reveal. The previously undisclosed and ongoing investigation, dubbed Operation Mathius, began in 2021, and followed another investigation that brought to light offending involving 60 people at…
: Blair Ensor | Stuff | A major police investigation into abuse at Gloriavale has identified more than 100 potential victims of crimes spanning about four decades, Stuff can reveal. The previously undisclosed and ongoing investigation, dubbed Operation Mathius, began in 2021, and followed another investigation that brought to light offending involving 60…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A Gloriavale teenager was left with a broken back following an incident at the community’s youth group. Police confirmed they were investigating what happened at the Haupiri community on Saturday afternoon. The 17-year-old’s mother, who asked not to be named, said initial reports that…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A former Gloriavale man has been charged with damaging Greymouth’s pink church. Redeemed Standfast, 19, left the Gloriavale Christian Community earlier this year. His father Stephen Standfast, who has been named as the next Overseeing Shepherd of the community on the West Coast, was…
: Laura Mills | Greymouth Star | A review of Gloriavale’s charitable status is ongoing, Charities Services says. In June, an Employment Court ruling concluded that six former Gloriavale women were not volunteers but unpaid employees at the Christian community at Lake Haupiri. Gloriavale says the judge got it wrong and…
: Caley Callaghan | Newshub | A report obtained by Newshub shows concern from a government official over Gloriavale’s ability to meet protection measures for its residents. It suggests the arrest of leader Howard Temple for historical sex charges could destabilise the reclusive Christian community’s continuity and leadership structure. But the…
: Greymouth Star A Gloriavale man today admitted three charges of sexual offending that took place at the isolated Christian community 15 years ago. Ready Standtrue, 32, did not seek continued name suppression in the Greymouth District Court this morning. He pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting a female…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A Gloriavale man confessed his sexual offending to police after his victim asked him to own up when she found out he was teaching children in the community’s school. Ready Standtrue, 32, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting and one of sexually…
: Niva Chittock | RNZ | Warning: This story contains details that may distress some readers. A woman who accused a man of raping her at Gloriavale was told there was no way she would ever marry and was written off as a “whore” and a “slut”, a Greymouth court has…
: RNZ | Checkpoint | Jonathan Benjamin is facing 20 charges, including four of rape, during his time at the Gloriavale Christian Community between 1986 and 2017. Crown lawyer, Kerry White, says some of the complainants were aged between six and 14 when they say they were attacked. The five complainants,…
: Niva Chittock | RNZ | The trial of a man accused of committing serious sexual offending against children at Gloriavale will begin this morning in Greymouth. Jonathan Benjamin is charged with various sexual offences against children and young women, including four counts of rape, from his time with the reclusive…
: Joanne Naish | The Press| International cult experts and survivors will gather to raise awareness of cults and the harm they cause in Christchurch next year. Christchurch journalist and author of Cult Trip: Inside the World of Coercion and Control Anke Richter is organising Decult, a conference due to take…
: Joanne Naish | The Press | A man is on trial for 20 charges of sexual offending against children spanning more than 30 years at the Gloriavale Christian community. Jonathan Benjamin, 58, is facing a jury trial in the Greymouth District Court. He has pleaded not guilty to four charges…
: Brand new doco Gloriavale is in cinemas today and this week the men who created the film Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady spoke to Dave Griffiths about the film. Take a listen to the full interview below: Gloriavale Interview…
: RNZ A former Gloriavale student is angry about the education she missed out on at school in the secretive South Island community, where she says girls are told their future is cooking and sewing. A recent ERO report of Gloriavale Christian School found 20 percent of students have been absent from class,…
: RNZ | Checkpoint | A former Gloriavale resident’s revealed students were made to “put on a good show” for inspectors. Her comments follow a recent ERO report which slams the private school inside the secretive South Island community. The report lists a raft of serious failings: 20 percent of enrolled…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | Two former Gloriavale teachers say the community’s belief that the Lord was coming back really soon impacted planning and training at the school. They’ve spoken out following a damning Education Review Office (ERO) report and claim issues at the religious community’s school should…
: RNZ | Checkpoint | Listen to Victory and Hopeful Disciple’s interview with Lisa Owen. Hopeful and Victory Disciple left the secretive West Coast community with their six children, who they said were still recovering from the trauma they endured at the school. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards Former Gloriavale members say the…
: RNZ | Checkpoint | Former Gloriavale members say the way children are treated at the community’s school is tantamount to abuse and they want it shut down. Their comments follow a damning Education Review Office report which identified a raft of failings at Gloriavale Christian School including not providing an adequate education…
: By Joanne Naish |The Press | A man has been charged with sexual offending at Gloriavale. He is facing two charges of indecent assault and one charge of sexually violating a woman in 2008. Continue reading: Man charged with sexual offending…
: By Laura Mills | Greymouth Star | Gloriavale School is looking for teachers from outside the closed community. The Education Review Office has just reported that schooling at Gloriavale is “precarious” and at a lower standard than in State schools. It identified a raft of things that must be fixed…
: By Shannon Redstall | The Press | A lawyer representing former Gloriavale members who won a recent Employment Court case believes they are walking into a “carefully laid trap” that would prevent them from receiving compensation from the secretive religious organisation. In July, Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis declared…
: | 1 News | The Gloriavale religious community has been told to make its workplaces safer. WorkSafe has followed up several warnings to the West Coast community in 2022, with six assessments this year. Those have led to an improvement notice to its Canaan Farming Engineering operation – to keep…
: By Michael Morrah | Newshub | The lawyer for a group of women who were formally residents of Gloriavale has raised concerns at an Employment Court hearing in Wellington the community’s Overseeing Shepherd, Howard Temple, could end up bankrupt and not able to pay them for their time spent working…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | Gloriavale’s school has come under fire from the Education Review Office (ERO) because it’s students are not progressing and achieving well, and their health and safety is not being monitored sufficiently. ERO found Gloriavale Christian School is not providing an adequate education to…
: By Chris Lynch |Christchurch’s Newsroom | A review conducted by the Education Review Office has raised serious concerns about the quality of education for school-aged children within the secluded Gloriavale community. The report unveiled challenges faced by the Gloriavale Christian School, affecting its capability to offer consistent and high-standard education.…
: | 1 News | The Education Review Office (ERO) has put out a highly critical report on the Gloriavale Christian School, saying it is not providing an adequate education for a private school. Gloriavale is an isolated Christian community on the West Coast, and its school has 139 enrolled students.…
: Cult Hackers Human rights lawyer, Stephen Patterson joins us today to talk about his work representing ex-members of the New Zealand based Gloriavale religious group. Stephen provides insights into life in the group thanks to his many conversations with former members. It’s some of the worst exploitation we’ve heard about…
: By Rachel Comer | Timaru Herald | A Timaru couple who support people leaving Gloriavale are hoping the community will help with a project transforming two 40-foot shipping containers into offices and meeting rooms. For the past 10 years, Liz and Graham Gregory have been involved with and hosted leavers…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A 12-year-old boy at Gloriavale broke his arm reaching into a large washing machine – an incident revealed in documents from the government agencies monitoring the community. The documents were released under the Official Information Act by the all-of-Government response to the remote West…
: By Laura Mills | Greymouth Star | Gloriavale has hit back at the banking sector as the BNZ tries to close its accounts, saying banks should not act as “moral arbiter”. The Lake Haupiri Christian community’s submission to the Commerce Commission inquiry into retail banking competition comes after the BNZ…
: By Jonathan Milne | Newsroom Pro | A controversial West Coast Christian community is seeking to overturn the tables of the money lenders Gloriavale leaders say some banks are refusing to serve customers they deem to be “undesirable”. Purporting to represent religious minorities, Māori, rural, disabled and elderly members of society excluded…
: By Dexter Tilo | HRD – Human Resources Director | Cites court findings that women had ‘very little real choice’ when it came to work The recent ruling on the Gloriavale case underscores the need for legislation on modern slavery in New Zealand, according to an employment lawyer. John Farrow,…
: By John Farrow | Otago Daily Times | The chief judge of the Employment Court’s recent declaration that Serenity Pilgrim and other women in the Gloriavale community were employees is vaguely unsettling. It’s not that the decision isn’t just. It’s not that the decision isn’t well reasoned. It’s not that…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | After two jury trials, Salem Temple – the son of Gloriavale’s overseeing shepherd – had his charges of sexual offending against a young girl dropped. Eight years after that girl, now a woman, went to police, the story of what she claims Temple…
: by Joanne Naish | Stuff | The son of Gloriavale’s overseeing shepherd can now be named as the man accused but never convicted of sexual offending against a young girl. Salem Temple, 40, faced two charges of indecently assaulting a girl aged between 12 and 16, one of indecent assault…
: By Ian Rogers | BankingDay | Bank of New Zealand will need to continue supplying banking services to a controversial Christian community, following a ruling by the New Zealand High Court late last week. The Christian Church Community Trust, more commonly known as the Gloriavale Christian community has been disputing the…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | BNZ has been ordered to continue providing banking for the Gloriavale Christian Community. The bank’s decision to close Gloriavale’s accounts followed an Employment Court ruling in May last year that found three former members – who began working at the community from age 6 –…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | Young people leaving Gloriavale should be offered extra support – similar to refugees – including help identifying academic gaps, social needs and undiagnosed learning difficulties, a report has found. The report was written in August last year, but the Ministry of Education says…
: | NZ Herald | A senior leader of the Gloriavale Christian community seriously injured in a crash at the weekend suffered a punctured lung and other internal injures. It was also feared Peter Righteous had serious spinal injuries but it now appears he has escaped such damage. Righteous was a…
: By Tina Law | Stuff | A senior leader of the Gloriavale community was seriously injured after the car he and two other people were in crashed into a creek on the South Island’s West Coast. Stuff understands Peter Righteous, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was flown to Wellington…
: By Melanie Earley | Stuff | Three members of the Gloriavale community have been injured, one seriously, after a car ended up in a creek on the South Island’s West Coast. A police spokesperson confirmed the crash happened shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday on Nelson Creek-Bell Hill Rd, Hochstetter, on…
: | Newshub Nation | Another week, another Gloriavale conviction, this one for violence and sex crimes. This week we went to parliament to find out what the government is doing to ensure the safety of the children there. Listen to the responses by following this link: What is the Government…
: By Jake Kenny | Stuff | A Gloriavale man made young girls strip naked while he took photographs of them, claiming he was “teaching” one victim when he sexually assaulted her. Peter Trust, a 51-year-old resident of the Gloriavale Christian Community and father of 11 children, also carried out “full-force…
: By Emily Moorhouse | NZ Herald | WARNING: This article discusses sexual harm and may be distressing. A Gloriavale member who made young girls strip naked and touch themselves while he took photos of them said he was trying to “boost their confidence” and teach them how to “please their…
: Press Release: New Zealand First Party Today’s interview of the Deputy Prime Minister on The Nation was disturbing. I was in Cabinet between 2017 and 2020 Gloriavale was never drawn to my attention. To see the comfort being offered by the Regional Public Service Commissioner at the direction of the Cabinet…
: Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni says she’s had no suggestion by Government agencies children living at Gloriavale are unsafe. Her comments come in the wake of a recent employment court ruling which has reignited the longstanding allegations of slavery at the West Coast commune. Read full article and listen to…
: Nine to Noon | RNZ | Interview with Brian Henry and Pearl Valor Former Gloriavale residents say they’re sceptical about government plans to pass a law banning modern slavery, saying nothing has been done to stop the practice over decades at the West Coast Christian community. A proposed law change…
: | RNZ | The Gloriavale Christian community has sought leave to appeal an Employment Court ruling that six women were employees, not volunteers. The former Gloriavale women took the West Coast community’s leaders to court, saying they were exploited and treated like slaves while working in domestic teams. The court’s…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | A decision by Gloriavale leaders to try appeal women’s employment rights has been labelled as “appalling” by one of the plaintiffs. Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis declared the former Gloriavale women were employees rather than volunteers in her decision in July after a…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | Gloriavale leaders claim they did not get a fair hearing in the Employment Court case that found women in the community are employees, not volunteers. The leaders have gone to the Appeal Court to ask for leave to appeal the Employment Court’s decision to…
: By Niva Chittock | RNZ | Gloriavale’s leader has been named today as the man charged with sexual offending against girls over more than 20 years. Details of Howard Temple’s first court appearance last month were suppressed, but the suppression order has since lapsed. More charges were added when he appeared…
: By Sam Sherwood and Carolyne Meng-Yee | NZ Herald | The leader of Christian community Gloriavale is accused of indecently assaulting 10 girls across more than 20 years, it can be revealed. Name suppression lapsed today for Howard Temple, following his appearance in the Greymouth District Court. Court documents allege…
: By Joanne Naish | The Press | Gloriavale’s next top leader is a zealous follower who once pulled off a girl’s scarf and called her a whore for wearing one hairclip instead of two. Stephen Standfast has been chosen as the next Overseeing Shepherd of the Gloriavale Christian Community by…
: By Anke Richter | New Zealand Listener | Subscription Only On a Friday afternoon, Sarah Mettrick cracks open a bottle of beer, sitting in the sun outside her Lyttelton home. Such a leisurely indulgence would have once been unthinkable for the 37-year-old who runs her own cleaning business. “I’m a…
: The Deep | Podcast | Pt 1: This is all about the Gloriavale cult, which started in New Zealand in 1969 and is still in operation today. Faithful, yes that is his real name, was born into the cult. In this episode he shares all about what life was like…
: By Rebecca Wright | Molly Swift | Newshub | A lawyer for ex-Gloriavale members says the sect depends on child labour, calling out the Government for turning a blind eye to “slavery in our country”. Barrister Brian Henry has been leading the fight against the isolated Christian Community where he…
: ThreeNow | Newshub Nation | Gloriavale has hit the headlines again this week. The Education Review Office announcing it’s investigating it’s private school. It comes after a second successful court case against the leadership – which found that children as young as six are actually employees in the community –…
: West Coast Messenger CHILDREN from Gloriavale Christian School have been getting creative as they fill the Otira railway pedestrian subway with colourful paintings. Students at Lake Brunner School and Springfield School have also had a hand in brightening the subway in preparation for the Otira Tunnel Centennial celebrations on August…
: RNZ Gloriavale School is under review by the Education Review Office, the Ministry of Education has confirmed. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage took Gloriavale’s leaders to court, arguing they lived in servitude working on the West Coast commune’s domestic teams and were…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Warning – This story discusses details of suicide and sexual abuse. Long read – Raised to be meek and submissive in a world dominated by men, six former Gloriavale women have won an extraordinary legal victory they say vindicates their claims of labour exploitation. The Employment…
: Juliet Speedy | Newshub | A lawyer for the ‘Gloriavale six’ says the West Coast religious community is a boil the Government needs to lance. On Thursday, the employment court found in favour of the women, that they were employees, not volunteers, and so were due the rights and payments…
: Heather du Plessis-Allan | NewstalkZB | Description: An employment court has vindicated six former Gloriavale women – who today won their employment court battle. These women claimed they were exploited and treated like slaves while they worked on domestic tasks for the community, including preparing food, cooking, cleaning and doing…
: Lisa Owen |RNZ Checkpoint| “Relieved and vindicated” That’s the response of six former Gloriavale women found by the court to be employees. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage took leaders of the christian community to the Employment court arguing they lived in servitude…
: RNZ Former Gloriavale women who took the community’s leaders to court hope today’s ruling will mean change for their families still living in the West Coast commune. Employment Court chief judge Christina Inglis has found the six women were employees who worked extremely hard under punishing conditions for years on end, in…
: Jake Kenny, Joanne Naish and Tatiana Gibbs | Stuff | Former Gloriavale women who have won vindication over their claim they were employees at the Christian community say it feels “incredible to be heard, acknowledged and believed” after their victory in an Employment Court case. Their lawyer, Brian Henry, says…
: Caley Callahan | Newshub | The Employment Court has ruled six former Gloriavale residents were employees – not volunteers – while living in the reclusive West Coast Christian community. In a decision released on Thursday, Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis said she had “no doubt” the plaintiffs “worked extremely…
: IN THE MATTER OF a declaration under s 6(5) of the Employment Relations Act 2000 BETWEEN SERENITY PILGRIM, ANNA COURAGE, ROSE STANDTRUE, CRYSTAL LOYAL,PEARL VALOR AND VIRGINIA COURAGE Plaintiffs AND THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL SUED ON BEHALF OF THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR INSPECTORATE First Defendant AND HOWARD TEMPLE,…
: Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A group of women born and raised at Gloriavale were employees and not volunteers during their time at the secretive Christian community, the Employment Court has ruled. Born into the community at Haupiri on the South Island’s West Coast, the women were “taught from…
: By Juliet Speedy | Newshub | There’s been a significant development in the Police investigation into Gloriavale. A number of charges have been laid against a senior member of the reclusive Christian community on the West Coast. Police have confirmed to Newshub on Friday that historic charges have been laid…
: By Doug Sail | Stuff | A former Gloriavale Christian Community farm manager was told he had spent enough of his life “living in chains” as he was sentenced to community detention for his historic assault on two 11-year-old boys. Judge Campbell Savage told John Ready in the Timaru District…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A judge has told former Gloriavale dairy farm manager John Ready he has “spent enough of his life in chains” in sentencing him to community detention for beating two 11-year-old boys. Ready, 45, hit the boys with a metal fence implement to discourage disobedience…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | BNZ cannot justify terminating its 40-year banking relationship with the Gloriavale Christian community as a result of a landmark child labour ruling, the High Court has heard. The bank wants to close the community’s commercial and charitable accounts, arguing last year’s Employment Court finding…
: Rosanna Overcomer | Podcast | Gloriavale Christian Community has been in the news recently in New Zealand for court cases around labour and servitude, and there are further cases happening as well. To understand more about the history of the organisation, you can listen to our 2-part episode about the group.…
: What is the Gloriavale cult and why are they always in and out of the courts? ANKE RICHTER is an international journalist, foreign correspondent and author based in Christchurch. Her new book, Cult Trip – Inside the World of Coercion & Control, has just been released – an investigative account…
: NZ Herald Warning: Violence contained in story. A Gloriavale man who whipped his daughter 12 years ago with a computer cord till she fainted said the punishment was intended to deter her from a romantic relationship with another young member of the Christian community. Aaron Courage, 50, came before Judge…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A Gloriavale man has been convicted for beating his daughter with a computer cord until she fainted because she was in a relationship with a boy outside marriage. Aaron Courage, 50, was convicted of assault with a weapon and discharged when he appeared in…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A former Gloriavale man who faces a string of allegations relating to sexual offences against children has had fresh charges levelled at him. The man, who has name suppression, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to 11 charges of sexual offending against children – at least one…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale women were entrapped, enslaved and lived in servitude at the “misogynist” Christian community, the Employment Court has heard. Barrister Brian Henry used his closing submission in the long-running hearing to claim Gloriavale was forced by its growth to turn to child labour, denying…
: | Greymouth Star | NZ Herald | A recent young leaver of Gloriavale has dodged a conviction for drink-driving, with the judge saying he needed a chance to find his way in the world. Redeemed Standfast, 18, pleaded guilty in the Greymouth District Court yesterday to driving with excess breath-alcohol.…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s communal religious society is not a sham and there is no capitalist labour market hidden within the Christian community, the Employment Court has heard. Shepherd Samuel Valor also apologised for Gloriavale’s part in “confusion” about its legal representation and urged chief judge Christina…
: By Shannon Redstall | Stuff | A lawyer for Gloriavale has suggested the women who are arguing they should have been recognised as employees of the secretive Christian community “exaggerated” their experiences. The long-running case centres around whether six former Gloriavale members should be considered employees for the “slave-like” conditions…
: By Caley Callahan | Newshub | Gloriavale has apologised to the Employment Court after a calamitous start to closing submissions. The hearing was delayed by a day after the community’s leaders engaged legal counsel, despite saying they couldn’t afford it. Gloriavale leader Samuel Valor began by making a public apology…
: Caley Callahan | Newshub | Gloriavale leaders have been accused of misleading the Employment Court over their use of lawyers. Late last year, the community’s leaders informed the hearing they would represent themselves. But when closing submissions began on Tuesday morning, they once again had legal counsel. Gloriavale leader Samuel…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s leaders have misled the barrister representing six former members by appearing with their own lawyer for closing submissions in a long-running case, despite saying the Christian community could no longer afford a legal team, the Employment Court has heard. The development resulted in…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | After claiming they couldn’t afford legal representation, Gloriavale leaders have turned up at the Employment Court with a new lawyer, sparking a war of words and delaying proceedings. Carter Pearce is now representing the West Coast commune in a dispute over whether six former…
: By Caley Callahan | Newshub | An unlikely TV star has been called as the final witness in the employment case against Gloriavale. Dove Stedfast, more commonly known as Dove Love, told the hearing that employment relationships wouldn’t work for their way of life. “My name is Dove Stedfast,” the…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter| The star of a television show about Gloriavale never wants to be a leader of the West Coast commune because of her Christian beliefs. Dove Steadfast, who was once known as Dove Love, was grilled about women’s rights at Gloriavale during an Employment Court…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale founder and convicted sex offender Hopeful Christian was a sinner but was used by God to bring about change, a senior community leader says. Shepherd Stephen Standfast told the Employment Court it should not have been acceptable for someone with Christian’s criminal record…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | There are “very definitely” difficulties between Gloriavale’s Christian ethos and human rights law, according to a senior leader of the West Coast commune. Stephen Standfast, who is the successor to Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple, is giving evidence in the Employment Court in Christchurch. The…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | Gloriavale Christian Community is building a second commune to help house its growing population. Boarded by native bush and private farms on the edge of Lake Brunner, the new village has been excavated and buildings have been moved there. Consent was granted to relocate…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | The Crown had detailed knowledge of Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian’s crimes in the mid-1990s but “dropped the ball” by failing to help the community deal with sexual abuse, the Employment Court has heard. Two Court of Appeal judgments tendered in a case brought by…
: By Doug Sail | Timaru Herald | A former Gloriavale Christian Community farm manager, who now lives in Timaru, has admitted hitting two 11-year-old boys several times with a metal fence standard as he believed they had disobeyed him. John Ready ordered his victims to face a wall and raise…
: Sam & Melissa compare and contrast the LDS, the FLDS and the Gloriavale Christian Community in their reaction to the documentary “Gloriavale: A World Apart” Episode 1 on Amazon Prime. Video link: https://odysee.com/@GrowingUpInPolygamy:0/ex-flds-reacts-to-gloriavale-christian:f “Gloriavale: A World Apart” Episode 1 can be found on Amazon Prime If you or someone you love…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | The head of Gloriavale has confirmed police are investigating forced labour, slavery and servitude at the West Coast commune. Overseeing shepherd Howard Temple said while he’s aware of the case, he knows very little about it. “The police work under apparently a confidentiality…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Police are investigating allegations of forced labour, slavery and servitude at the Gloriavale Christian community, the Employment Court has heard. Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple confirmed the inquiry on his third and final day of questioning at a hearing to determine whether six former Gloriavale…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ Reporter | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd has rejected assertions the leaders impose their faith in God on the Christian community’s children through isolation and ignorance. Howard Temple has been cross-examined at length about Gloriavale’s doctrine of separation at the Employment Court, which heard girls and boys…
: By Ryan Boswell |1News Reporter | The love of God comes before everything else, including marriage, according to the man in charge of Gloriavale. Overseeing shepherd Howard Temple said women who get married at the West Coast commune have to submit first to the church, before their husbands. “People know…
: By Caley Callahan |Newshub | Gloriavale’s overseeing shepherd has admitted he separates his community from the outside world. Howard Temple spent a tense second day on the stand in the Employment Court, which shortened the daily hearing to cater for the frail 82-year-old. Gloriavale’s leader was back in the hot…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | The head of Gloriavale believes the criticism and scrutiny thrown at the West Coast commune is “deserved”. Overseeing shepherd Howard Temple told the Employment Court that his intention has always been to ensure the safety and well-being of those who live at Gloriavale,…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd has told a court much of the criticism directed at the Christian community is deserved and he is saddened by the harm done during a “dark period” in its history. In a rare public appearance, Howard Temple admitted leaders had made…
: By Chris Tobin | Timaru Herald | A nearly 100-year-old Timaru running club is enjoying a resurgence with younger runners and others of all abilities taking up the sport. “We cater for all, walkers, joggers and others who just want the social aspect,” Run Timaru club member Jesse Kempf said.…
: By Caley Callahan | Newshub | At the end of a rural West Coast road and off the beaten track, Gloriavale reveals itself from the wilderness. It’s just an hour’s drive from Greymouth but the residents there live a completely different life. Employment Court Chief Judge Christina Inglis was invited…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | As lunchtime nears, a young Gloriavale woman stands on a metal step dipping a giant wooden spoon into a steaming hot vat, like a paddler working against a tide of macaroni cheese. In one of the most isolated kitchens in the country, a visit…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | In a windowless kitchen with concrete floors and walls, stands a young woman on a step holding a large paddle with both hands, stirring a stainless steel vat of macaroni-and-cheese – enough to feed 600 people. There’s another, smaller, vat for gluten-free meals. In…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | The little boy had no idea as he fibbed about his age, that he was speaking to one of the country’s top judges. After shaking Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis’ hand, the little boy, confidently and without hesitation, told her he was…
: 1News | Strict conditions were imposed when an Employment Court judge, lawyers and the media had a two-hour tour of Gloriavale today. The court was trying to get a better understanding of the evidence being presented in the case of six former residents and whether they were employees or volunteers.…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | The judge overseeing the Gloriavale employment trial visits the Christian group. Follow the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuIPOQSYoIw…
: By Adam Burns, | RNZ Reporter | A Gloriavale woman admits private conversations among members that deviated from their beliefs could be shared with leaders. The comments came as more members of the West Coast sect took to the witness stand during Employment Court hearing proceedings in Greymouth on Thursday. Six former…
: by Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | A Gloriavale woman today told a court she was made to live by herself, away from her family, as punishment for being caught shoplifting as a child. Rapture Standtrue was 11 years old when she was confined to a caravan for about two…
: by Ryan Boswell | 1News | At an Employment Court trial, Rapture Standtrue was asked about the evidence given by former member Rosanna Overcomer, who said false allegations had been made about her to the commune’s leadership. The court heard that Overcomer was called to a leaders meeting not long…
: By RNZ | A Gloriavale mother has denied cutting all ties with her daughter after she chose to leave the West Coast commune. The testimony prompted the woman’s daughter Rose Standtrue to storm out of the Employment Court hearing in Greymouth on Wednesday. Six former Gloriavale women, including Rose, are…
: By Ryan Boswell |1News Reporter| Claims that Gloriavale women are forced to have babies by the leadership to bring in money have been called “totally disgusting”, “untrue”, and “extremely offensive”. Current member Christiana Standtrue told the Employment Court that she has always loved babies and children. Standtrue said she believes…
: By Laura Mills | Greymouth Star | A mother had police come to help her daughter leave Gloriavale, the Employment Court in Greymouth heard today. Six former Gloriavale women claim they lived in slave-like conditions on a gruelling rotation of domestic duties and are seeking a ruling that they were…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | A Gloriavale mother of 12 has limited contact with one child because she’s trying to “undermine my children and my faith and what I stand for”. Hannah Patience Standtrue was asked about the evidence given by her daughter Rose Standtrue at an Employment…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A Gloriavale woman has broken down in court describing a humiliating scolding by then-senior leader Fervent Stedfast in the Christian community’s dining room. Treasure Stedfast also shed tears at the Employment Court hearing in Greymouth, expressing her sorrow at the way former members felt…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | Gloriavale is being compared to living on a marae, with one commune member claiming Māori women have less say than Gloriavale women. At an Employment Court hearing to decide whether six former residents are employees or volunteers, Treasure Stedfast introduced herself in te…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A Gloriavale mother-of-eight has told a court the Christian community cannot afford to pay everyone wages and employment relationships would destroy their way of life. Temperance Hopeful, who is married to Shepherd Noah Hopeful, told the Employment Court hearing in Greymouth that Gloriavale members…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | Introducing employment laws to Gloriavale could “destroy” the West Coast commune, according to a senior woman. Temperance Hopeful is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether six former members were employees or volunteers. Virginia Courage, Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Rose…
: By Jean Edwards | Radio NZ | Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian was jailed for cruel and bizarre sexual offending under the guise of education or preparation for marriage, court documents show. Full details of Christian’s crimes have publicly emerged for the first time, after being tendered in an Employment Court case…
: 1 News | The founder of Gloriavale would never have been convicted of sexual abuse if commune members hadn’t been portrayed as “mindless robots”, according to a senior resident. Faithful Pilgrim is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether six women were employees or volunteers and subject…
: by Jean Edwards | RNZ | Former Gloriavale Christian School principal Faithful Pilgrim has told a court the community’s leaders do not rule like tyrants, before breaking down over his relationship with a son who has left the sect. Pilgrim, who was a Shepherd until his resignation last May, also…
: 1News A former teacher at Gloriavale Christian School has said his granddaughter could have trained to be a midwife depending on how she approached the leaders at the commune. Faithful Pilgrim is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is considering whether six former residents were volunteers or employees. When…
: by Caley Callahan | Newshub | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple was in court on Thursday – not to give evidence but to support one of his former leaders. Faithful Pilgrim took the stand in the Employment Court defending the role of women at the West Coast commune. “The plaintiffs…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | The former principal of Gloriavale Christian School who endorsed a colleague he knew had sexually abused a child has now said he made a “serious mistake”. Faithful Pilgrim was the principal of the school between 1995 and 2020. He has been a teacher for…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A Gloriavale father-of-nine has accused leavers of twisting details about the sect to paint a dark, sensationalised picture of life at the Christian commune. David Stedfast told an Employment Court hearing members had freedom of choice and denied portraying an idealistic, utopian view of…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News Reporter | A question has been asked as to whether a Gloriavale member was being bullied while giving evidence at the Employment Court. David Stedfast was being cross-examined by the lawyer for Gloriavale leavers Brian Henry about whether women at the West Coast commune have…
: By Jean Edwards |RNZ Reporter | Employment relationships at Gloriavale would be in direct conflict with the Christian community’s religious beliefs, a founding member says. Serenity Valor told an Employment Court hearing Gloriavale had no intention of denying people their legal rights and the community believed it was complying with…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News Reporter | Priscilla Stedfast has told the Employment Court that members work hard, but that was “part of my life and I have always loved to give and help my family and my friend’s families”. The hearing is to determine whether six former residents…
: Charlie Gates | Stuff | A Gloriavale member has conceded that young women worked hard, long hours at the religious community and were sometimes publicly shamed for being late for duties or making mistakes in the kitchen. Priscilla Stedfast was the latest witness to testify at the ongoing Employment Court case…
: 1 News | Priscilla Stedfast, who was born at Gloriavale, is giving evidence at the Employment Court case which is deciding whether six former members were employees or volunteers. Virginia Courage, Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Rose Standtrue, Anna Courage and Crystal Loyal claim they were made to work long hours…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | A Gloriavale mother-of-seven has denied working under the whip of its leaders and accused former members of making misleading and exaggerated claims about life at the West Coast commune. Priscilla Stedfast has told an Employment Court hearing her husband did not rule over her…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A Gloriavale mother of seven has slammed evidence given by women who left the community, saying their accounts of working conditions and their lives are incorrect, highly exaggerated, unrealistic and offensive. And she says the “misleading” information about Gloriavale is hugely impacting the…
: By Charlie Gates | Stuff | A Gloriavale member has hit back at claims that women in the religious community were made to work long hours in ‘slave-like’ conditions. Priscilla Stedfast, was the latest witness to testify at the ongoing Employment Court case against Gloriavale, which resumed in Christchurch this week.…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Former Gloriavale Christian School principal Faithful Pilgrim is expected to give evidence in the next phase of an Employment Court case resuming today, before a visit to the isolated West Coast community by the chief judge. Six former Gloriavale women – Serenity Pilgrim, Anna…
: By Zac Ntim | International Reporter | Deadline EXCLUSIVE: MetFilm Sales has acquired world rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Gloriavale: New Zealand’s Secret Cult, Fergus Grady and Noel Smyth’s feature doc about a notorious kiwi religious cult. MetFilm will shop the doc to international buyers at the upcoming European Film Market. Billed…
: By RedPR “We’re here to finish a job.” That from Barrister Brian Henry who is leading the legal team in the case against Gloriavale, representing six former residents of the West Coast community (the Plaintiff’s). The case began at the end of August last year, adjourning at the end of…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | The judge presiding over an Employment Court trial between Gloriavale leavers and the current community will visit the secretive Christian community next month. Last year a group of six women raised in the infamous and isolated West Coast religious group claimed they were effectively…
: By Jenée Tibshraeny | NZ Herald | A High Court judge is preventing the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) from ditching Gloriavale as a customer – for now at least. The bank wants to terminate the relationship it’s had with the controversial West Coast-based Christian community for more than 40 years…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News| Former members of the reclusive Gloriavale community are enjoying the chance to discover the joy of Christmas. The festive season isn’t observed at the West Coast commune as it’s considered a pagan holiday. “Traditionally, some of the more closed communities have had a view…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | The Gloriavale Christian Community has decided to represent itself in the ongoing Employment Court case it is defending against former members. The community said it could no longer sustain the cost of a legal team – believed to be in excess of $100,000 a…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff Gloriavale has appointed a former bank executive and hospital boss as its new chief executive. Phil Jamieson will oversee the community’s business interests. Jamieson was previously SBS Bank general manager of development and then moved into the role of chief executive officer for Waitaki District Health…
: Gloriavale workers who recently received a share of the Christian Community’s profits, were immediately asked to pay it back to cover expenses, including more than $100,000 in legal fees. The $335,000 in expenses for October included administration costs, taxes, vehicle hire, capital spending, with close to 40% going on lawyers…
: By Catherine Hubbard | Stuff | GRAPHIC WARNING: Content in this story may upset some people. Journalist and author Anke Richter’s new book about Kiwi cults will certainly open eyes. But perhaps, it will open doors for those trapped behind closed doors. Richter’s Cult Trip is billed as “an investigative…
: Studio 10 Gloriavale Christian Community is surrounded by secrecy and controversy. Now a new documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Noel Smyth is lifting the lid on the elusive group. IG @noelsmythfilm View: Filmmaker Noel Smyth Lifts The Lid On Gloriavale …
: Tova O’Brien | Today FM | A Gloriavale man charged with sexual offences against five children has had his jail sentence reduced. Timothy Disciple has lost his name suppression – but he’s also had eight months shaved off of his prison term under an appeal – with a judge citing…
: RN Drive By Nick Baker and Sky Kirkham for The Drawing Room Like many New Zealanders, Fergus Grady knew about the disturbing stories that were coming out of the Gloriavale Christian Community. This secretive group, located in one of the most isolated parts of the country, has long made headlines there, with numerous…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Another Gloriavale man jailed for child sex offences can now be named, after losing a High Court fight to keep his identity a secret. Timothy Disciple, 41, was sentenced in the Greymouth District Court in June to two years and five months in prison,…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A Gloriavale man convicted of sexual offending against children has had his sentence reduced under appeal but can now finally be named. Timothy Disciple, 40, was sentenced in June to two years and five months in jail for seven charges of indecent assault against…
: By Julie Fenwick | VICE | “You’re reared in those thoughts where it’s like ‘I owe the system something’… ‘Actually: I owe them my life’.” In Haupiri, on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, live close to 600 people, crammed in bunk beds and shared living quarters with little…
: By Naomi Arnold | Stuff | How do you write about people suffering from severe trauma without making it worse? What are the boundaries between journalist and subject? Naomi Arnold writes about five years of watching journalist, cult reporter and friend Anke Richter suffer the weight of those questions while…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A judge has expressed concern about the father of a young victim of sexual offending at Gloriavale supplying the court with a second, vastly different, impact statement. Joseph Hope, a member of the Gloriavale Christian Community, was sentenced in the Greymouth District Court in…
: By Maxine Jacobs | Stuff | As the final day of the Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearings drew to a close, Gary Williams reminded the Royal Commission of the children. “Survivors started their journey as innocent, and through their journey they became punished, and punished, and punished again. “I…
: By Andrew McRae – RNZ – 21/10/2022 A former member of the Gloriavale Christian Community says she is not holding her breath for any meaningful change to take place there. Rosanna Overcomer, who has been out of the community for nine years, gave a statement to the Abuse in Care…
: By Dr Caroline Ansley | The Spinoff | This month’s Gloriavale hearing has been chillingly evocative of the abuse Dr Caroline Ansley endured as a child at Centrepoint in the 1980s. She asks, why do we still allow these predatory environments to thrive? And where is the ongoing support for…
: By Sarah Steele – Let’s Talk About Sects – 19/10/2022 When widespread abuse is uncovered at a New Zealand cult, a family must turn to the legal system in an effort to save themselves and their community from the all-powerful leaders. Filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady documented the impact…
: RN Drive, ABC, Sky Kirkham, Producer – 17/10/2022 Founded in New Zealand at the end of the 1960s by an Australian preacher, the Gloriavale Christian Community is home to around 600 people. Led by a small group of ‘shepherds’, members are isolated from outside society and ex-communication means exile from…
: By Laura Mills | Stuff | Gloriavale says it is getting some clothing made in China to free up women from sewing chores at the Lake Haupiri Christian community. Parents are also supervising children more as the community brings about a culture change in response to child abuse. Overseeing shepherd…
: By Laura Mills | Greymouth Star | Gloriavale says it is getting some clothing made in China to free up women from sewing chores at the Lake Haupiri Christian community. Parents are also supervising children more as the community brings about a culture change in response to child abuse. Overseeing…
: | Greymouth Star | Laura Mills | Gloriavale says it is being harassed and does not know who to turn to. In a statement yesterday to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care, leaders said the continual call for investigations into their communal life had been traumatic for many of…