: 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 | 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 really late…
: 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 –…
: 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…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ Reporter| 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…
: By Joanne Naish and Katie Doyle | Stuff | The leader of Gloriavale has vowed that there will be “no more abuse” at the secretive West Coast Christian community but denied that its doctrines had allowed it to flourish in the past. Gloriavale’s overseeing shepherd, Howard Temple, has been answering…
: By Jayden Holmes | Today FM | The head of Gloriavale has admitted abuse happened at the religious community. Howard Temple is making a rare public appearance at the inquiry into abuse in care and faith-based institutions. He was questioned about an incident where a man was accused of sexual…
: By Andrew McRae | Reporter RNZ | The Gloriavale Christian Community will appear for the first time at the Abuse in Care inquiry starting this morning in Auckland. It is the last public hearing for the Royal Commission, which started its work in 2019. It is looking into abuse in…
: A chance meeting with a former resident of Bert Potter’s Centrepoint community started journalist Anke Richter on what became a decade-long deep dive into groups that exert high levels of control on members. The result of her investigation is a book, Cult Trip: Inside the world of coercion and control exploring a myriad of…
: Rural News West Coast milk processor Westland Milk Products has been ordered by the High Court to continue picking milk from three dairy farms associated with the Gloriavale community. The company’s argument that Gloriavale-owned Canaan Farms employed children to do farm work and processing their milk affected relationships with major…
: Media Release | Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry | The responses of faith institutions to abuse and neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults in their care will be examined by the Royal Commission of Inquiry during a public hearing from 13 to 20 October. The Royal…
: By Amanda Cropp | Stuff | Westland Dairy Company claims it lost customers as a result of doing business with Gloriavale got short shrift in a High Court decision over suspension of a milk supply contract. Canaan Farming Dairy Ltd has successfully obtained an interim injunction forcing Westland Dairy to keep…
: By Brendan McMahon | RNZ | Gloriavale Christian Community is welcoming the decision by the High Court to grant an injunction ordering Westland Milk Products to continue to collect its milk. Canaan Farming Dairy Ltd director Samuel Valor said it would continue to work closely with the dairy company and build on…
: By Kurt Bayer | NZ Herald | Gloriavale’s dairy farm operations have won a court battle to save a lucrative milk contract, on the condition they don’t use any child labour. Chinese-owned Westland announced in June it was stopping milk collection from the West Coast Christian community’s farms after an…
: By Marine Lourens | Stuff | The High Court has ordered Westland Dairy Company to continue collecting milk from the farms owned by the Gloriavale Christian community. Westland announced earlier this year it would cease taking Gloriavale milk following an Employment Court ruling that several of the Christian community’s businesses used child labour and…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | It’s been alleged there are two classes of people living inside the West Coast commune of Gloriavale. Former resident Pearl Valor told the Employment Court that there are different classes depending on who your parents are, and that normally meant “not interacting with low-class…
: By Kaysha Brownlie | Newshub | [Video link available ] An expert witness has calculated that Gloriavale spends just over $20 a week on food for each person. The community’s finances were unravelled at an Employment Court hearing in Christchurch on Friday. Millions of dollars of its income each year…
: By Marine Lourens and Joanne Naish15:05, Sep 30 2022 Five weeks of evidence in the Employment Court regarding life at Gloriavale has pulled back the veil on life at the isolated West Coast community. Some paint a picture of a cult-like society where members are indoctrinated to submit to the…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale Christian community received almost $5 million in government money in the 2021 financial year, while its church trust held more than $4m in cash, a court has heard. Financial statements show senior Gloriavale men Faithful Pilgrim, Stephen Standfast and Peter Righteous control the…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple is respectful of girls and does not have a reputation for inappropriate behaviour, his granddaughter says. Joanna Courage, 23, has told the Employment Court she feels safe at the West Coast Christian commune and does not get preferential treatment…
: Ryan Boswell | 1 News | Gloriavale’s leader Howard Temple is being defended by his own granddaughter over claims he gave girls unwanted attention. Joanna Courage is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is considering whether six women were employees or volunteers at the West Coast commune. The court…
: By Jake Kenny | Stuff | A Gloriavale lawyer has apologised for telling a High Court no children worked on farms at the Christian community since 2017, after further evidence came to light. The community sought a High Court injunction forcing Westland Dairy Company to continue collecting milk from its…
: by Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale’s leaders did not know about sexual abuse at the Christian community, which has become an “entertainment show” for the country’s media, a member says. Mother-of-13 Purity Valor has told an Employment Court hearing Gloriavale was constantly being slandered, leaving members a target for…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News | Gloriavale woman are suffering “immense trauma and hurt” over claims they are brainwashed and ignorant, according to the commune’s school principal. Rachel Steadfast is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether six women who worked at Gloriavale were employees or…
: By Juliet Speedy [Video link available] A senior female member of Gloriavale said life in the sect is much like Māori culture so she can’t understand why her community is constantly attacked when life on a marae is accepted. It was Gloriavale’s turn to fight back in court on Friday…
: By Marine Lourens | Stuff | A baby has made a rare appearance in a court witness box as a Gloriavale member hit back at those saying women in the religious community have little choice over their lives. Rachel Stedfast, who is the acting Gloriavale school principal and has nine children, testified…
: The first witness has been called to give evidence on behalf of the Gloriavale community at its employment court hearing. Female members said Gloriavale is a place of harmony where they happily work and give all their wages back. They also happily accept being led by the men because the…
: By Niva Chittock | RNZ | A former member of the Gloriavale Christian community has told a court his daughter suffered third-degree burns after having a seizure at work in the kitchen. Six women, including the man’s sister, are arguing in the Employment Court in Christchurch that they were employees,…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News | A former Gloriavale resident has detailed his expulsion from the West Coast commune, after he challenged the leadership and their reading of the Bible. John Ready was born into the community in 1978, but said he was forced out by the overseeing shepherd…
: By Juliet Speedy | Newshub | A Gloriavale leaver told the Employment Court the plight of women who remain in the community is of serious concern to him, both because of unwanted touching and an unsustainable workload with pressure from the leaders. John Ready said if the women stopped working,…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News | A former Gloriavale member says he was told there are limits on the number of children a family can have if they live outside the commune. Former resident John Ready claims that on one occasion Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple said “you could not…
: By Niva Chittock | RNZ | A former Gloriavale member says she returned to work a week after her baby was born. Crystal Loyal is one of six former Gloriavale women seeking a ruling they were employees, not volunteers, during their time in the Christian community. Gloriavale’s leaders maintain the…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1 News | A former Gloriavale resident who had sex before marriage claims she was humiliated by the leadership and called a “whore” and a “slut”. Crystal Loyal is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether six women who worked at the West…
: by Ryan Boswell | 1News | Gloriavale’s leaders make it difficult for families to keep in contact with loved ones who have left, according to a former resident. Crystal Loyal left Gloriavale with her husband and children in 2017. She told the Employment Court that while her parents still live…
: by Juliet Speedy | Newshub | One of the six plaintiffs in the Gloriavale employment case says she was called a “slut” and a “whore” after choosing a partner in the community before the leaders chose one for her. Crystal Loyal fell in love with her husband while in the…
: By Sam Sherwood | RNZ | A former Gloriavale member has spoken of the working conditions for “inferior” women inside the isolated Christian community, with no pay, no days off and being threatened with no food if they did not work. The Employment Court case is centred around six women…
: Gloriavale generates the most of its money through government benefits, a former leader has told the Employment Court. The case resumed on Monday in Christchurch, as six former Gloriavale women seek a ruling they were employees, not volunteers, during their time in the community. Ex-Gloriavale leader Zion Pilgrim told the…
: by Ryan Boswell | 1News | A former Gloriavale leader was accused of “following the spirit of the devil” when raising concerns about sexual offending. Zion Pilgrim is giving evidence at the Employment Court, which is deciding whether women commune members are employees or volunteers. He was a servant and…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale Christian School’s new principal has accused people of making a co-ordinated effort to shut the school down and take its children away by lodging simultaneous complaints against every teacher. In an open letter published on the West Coast Christian community’s website, Rachel Stedfast…
: By Olivia Caldwell | Stuff | Gloriavale has appointed a new acting school principal after the previous head teacher was suspended earlier this year for serious misconduct. Rachel Stedfast said Gloriavale had been “targeted” by outsiders of its community, which had threatened the security of the children at the school.…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Gloriavale Christian School’s new principal has accused people of making a coordinated effort to shut the school down and take its children away by lodging simultaneous complaints against every teacher. In an open letter published on the West Coast Christian community’s website, Rachel Stedfast…
: By Amanda Cropp – Stuff – 11/09/2022 Two Gloriavale Christian Community businesses have been banned from using a Mānuka honey trademark over treatment of their workers. The Unique Mānuka Factor Honey (UMF) Association has revoked a licence jointly held by Forest Gold and Lamohka honey brands, saying their actions had…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 10/09/2022 This story discusses graphic details of abuse. Gloriavale leaders claimed God must have blessed the food that killed Prayer Ready in an isolation room at the Christian commune and lied about the circumstances surrounding her choking death, a former member says. Anna Courage…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 10/09/2022 Touching your fiancé is forbidden at the Gloriavale Christian Community, but you are expected to consummate the arranged marriage before lunch. Melody Pilgrim remembers sitting in a room waiting to find out who the Overseeing Shepherd had chosen for her. “I was sitting…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 08/09/2022 Brutal work conditions inside Gloriavale have been the focus of evidence at the Employment Court in Christchurch. Rebekah Kempf was born at the commune and left with her family in 2015. She is the great granddaughter of Gloriavale’s founder, Hopeful Christian, and told…
: By Kaysha Brownlie – Newshub – 07/09/2022 “No talent” and “too fat” to be a Christian – this is what a former Gloriavale member says leaders told her. Rebekah Kempf was giving evidence at the Employment Court case in Christchurch, where current members deny the work is not forced. “I…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 07/09/2022 Workplace sexual harassment was normal at Gloriavale, where leaders would grab girls’ bottoms, unzip their dresses or ping their bra straps in the kitchen, a former member says. Rosanna Overcomer told an Employment Court hearing the behaviour made her feel sick but was…
: By Anna Leask – NZ Herald – 06/09/2022 A Gloriavale father of 13 once convicted of beating two of his young daughters with shoes, carpentry tools, coat hangers and belts has turned on the community’s leaders, telling the court that sexual abuse, bullying and forced labour are prevalent within the…
: By Jake Kenny – Stuff – 06/09/2022 Warning: This story discusses details of alleged sexual abuse. A Gloriavale member “since its inception” says the community’s leaders do everything in their power to “tear apart” families of members who disagree with them. After decades of service to the community, Sharon Ready…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 06/09/2022 Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian told a father who had just buried his daughter that he could take comfort from the fact she would not be molested, a court has heard. Clem Ready said he was shaken by Christian’s attitude to the death of…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 06/09/2022 A Gloriavale man who disciplined his daughters using a weapon argues it is common practice in the West Coast commune. Clem Ready is giving evidence at the Employment Court to decide whether six former Gloriavale members were employees or volunteers. He said men…
: By Kaysha Brownlie – Newshub – 06/09/2022 A former Glorivale member who still resides in the isolated West Coast community has given emotional evidence about how, among the things he witnessed in the Christian commune, his daughter’s death hurt him the most. Clem Ready was giving evidence during an Employment…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A Gloriavale father of 13 once convicted of beating two of his young daughters with shoes, carpentry tools, coat hangers and belts has turned on the community’s leaders, telling the court that sexual abuse, bullying and forced labour are prevalent within the sect.…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A Gloriavale father of 13 once convicted of beating two of his young daughters with shoes, carpentry tools, coat hangers and belts has turned on the community’s leaders, telling the court that sexual abuse, bullying and forced labour are prevalent within the sect.…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 05/09/2022 A former Gloriavale member has described an ingrained culture of bullying and mocking at the West Coast Christian community, where powerful and controlling leaders punished women. Mother-of-11 Virginia Courage told the Employment Court Gloriavale’s founder Hopeful Christian was a bully who ridiculed the…
: By Jake Kenny – Stuff – 05/09/2022 Warning: This story discusses details of alleged sexual abuse. A former Gloriavale resident says she was verbally attacked by the community’s leaders in a late-night meeting for over an hour for accepting a phone call from her brother. Virginia Courage was seven months…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 05/09/2022 Gloriavale members grow up being told they owe their life to the West Coast commune, the Employment Court has been told. Virginia Courage is one of six former female members arguing that they should’ve been treated as employees, rather than volunteers at Gloriavale.…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A mum-of-11 who escaped Gloriavale says the community’s founder Hopeful Christian was “a bully” and his cruel treatment of people became “ingrained” in the whole population. Virginia Courage is part of an Employment Court case against the Christian community – alleging women are…
: By Kaysha Brownlie | Newshub | A former Gloriavale resident has told the Employment Court in Christchurch there was a culture of bullying and mocking inside the community. Virginia Courage is one of six women fighting to prove they were employees rather than volunteers at the commune. Courage’s life outside the…
: NZ Herald – 4/09/2022 For viewers of the screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, the comparisons are inevitable. To start with, women of Gloriavale wear headscarves and apparel resembling the characters of the fictional Netflix series in all-but colour – the television cast in gaudy red and…
: RNZ – 2/09/2022 A former Gloriavale woman has told a court the Christian community is not a safe place for children. Virginia Courage broke down describing how her teenage daughter was sent out of the country by Gloriavale’s leaders against her will. Courage was born into Gloriavale but left with…
: 1News – 2/09/2022 The dilemma for mothers at Gloriavale has been described at the Employment Court in Christchurch. Former member Virginia Courage is one of six women arguing the West Coast commune should have treated them as employees rather than volunteers. She said her daughter “was treated horribly, she was…
: Stuff – 2/09/2022 Clothing is a tool used to control and save money at Gloriavale, with theories about red being a “whore’s colour” and strict rules around how tight to tie your belt. A Gloriavale leaver has revealed what it is like to wear the infamous long blue dresses and…
: Newshub – 2/09/2022 There were tears in the public gallery on Friday as a former resident of Gloriavale recalled the exhaustion and brutal work hours she suffered within the community. Virginia Courage is one of six women arguing she was an employee while working at the isolated Christian commune rather…
: Stuff – 2/09/2022 A former Gloriavale member says inappropriate touching of women and children became part of the culture, with leaders telling women “I shall not fear what man do to me”. “They demanded a cuddle…Any man could approach any girl or woman and inappropriately touch them,” Virginia Courage told…
: By Amanda Cropp | Stuff | Two Gloriavale brands have been stripped of their government-endorsed FernMark licences as the Christian Community is once again in court over labour issues. Moo Chews milk-based snacks for children and Pure Vitality health products have had their FernMark licences revoked by government agency New Zealand Story, which…
: 1News – 1/09/2022 It’s been suggested a former Gloriavale resident signed away her workers’ rights. Pearl Valor is one of six women fighting for the right to have been treated as an employee, rather than a volunteer while at the West Coast commune. Read more here: https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/09/01/gloriavale-lawyer-says-ex-resident-signed-away-employment-rights/…
: RNZ – 1/09/2022 A former Gloriavale woman says the Christian community’s leaders thought they were above the law. The Employment Court has been hearing evidence from leavers who claim they were working in slave-like conditions and exposed to sexual harassment and abuse from a young age. Read more here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018857067/gloriavale-leaders-thought-they-were-above-law-ex-member…
: Stuff – 1/09/2022 A Gloriavale leaver born into the Christian community says she decided to leave when the community kept changing its values and beliefs to “cover their tracks”. Pearl Valor continued giving evidence on day four of the Christchurch Employment Court hearing on Thursday, where it is alleged women…
: NZ Herald – 1/09/2022 A mum-of-11 who escaped the Gloriavale and is part of an Employment Court case against the Christian community – alleging women are treated as “modern-day slaves” – is calling on Kiwis for help. Virginia Courage and fellow leavers Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Rose Standtrue, Anna Courage…
: Newshub – 1/09/2022 A former resident of Gloriavale says she never had access to Panadol growing up and was often berated and accused of being lazy. On the fourth day, Pearl Valor gave evidence at an Employment Court hearing in Christchurch, which is examining the role of women in the…
: RNZ – 01/09/2022 A former Gloriavale woman says the Christian community’s leaders thought they were above the law. The Employment Court has heard evidence from leavers who claim they were working in slave-like conditions and exposed to sexual harassment and abuse from a young age. Pearl Valor was born into…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 01/09/2022 It’s been suggested a former Gloriavale resident signed away her workers’ rights. Pearl Valor is one of six women fighting for the right to have been treated as an employee, rather than a volunteer while at the West Coast commune. Gloriavale’s lawyer Phillip…
: Newshub A former Gloriavale resident alleges she never had access to Panadol growing up and was often berated and accused of being lazy. Pearl Valor gave evidence on Thursday, on the fourth day of an Employment Court hearing in Christchurch, examining the role of women in the isolated Christian commune.…
: RNZ – 31/08/2022 A court has heard distressing testimony from a former Gloriavale woman who says her treatment at the secretive Christian community made her suicidal. The Employment Court has also heard evidence girls as young as eight were worried about being groped while serving food. Read more here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018856906/court-hears-distressing-accounts-from-ex-gloriavale-women…
: RNZ – 31/08/2022 A former Gloriavale member has told the court her treatment at the Christian community made her suicidal, during a harrowing testimony on Wednesday. Rose Standtrue is one of six women arguing that for the domestic work they did for years at Gloriavale, they should have been recognised…
: NZ Herald – 31/08/2022 Growing up at Gloriavale Rose Standtrue lived in fear. She feared not waking up in time for work, feared being late and feared being forced to stand in front of the 600-strong population at the Christian commune and apologise if she made any mistakes. She also…
: 1News – 31/08/2022 A former Gloriavale resident has told the Employment Court she lived in fear of the men and the abuse at the West Coast commune. Rose Standtrue shed tears as she gave evidence on Wednesday. “I wanted to commit suicide because I was real depressed and had anxiety…
: Newshub – 31/08/2022 It’s been an emotional day at the Gloriavale Employment Court case, with a witness alleging she was sexually abused, publicly shamed and cut off from her family when she left. Rose Standtrue said she was under so much pressure, she contemplated taking her own life. Every day…
: NZ Herald – 31/08/2022 Pearl Valor has given further evidence in court about her time at the controversial Gloriavale community – breaking down in tears as she recalled being hungry, stealing food and being refused dental treatment. But despite all of that she stayed, the guilt of what would happen…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 31/08/2022 Warning: this story may be distressing for some readers. A former Gloriavale resident has broken down in tears as she recalled thinking suicide was the only way out of the West Coast commune. Rose Standtrue is giving evidence at the Employment Court in…
: NZ Herald Former Gloriavale resident Pearl Valor reveals the harsh working conditions and the unwanted attention of men while working at the Christian community. Video link: Gloriavale TV bride speaks about why she left the community…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 30/08/2022 Forced to slog for long hours and publicly humiliated for small misdemeanours, the working lives of women at Gloriavale have been laid bare at the Employment Court in Christchurch. Isaac Pilgrim was born and raised at the West Coast commune, and left four…
: | Stuff | A former Gloriavale member has told the Employment Court he saw a culture of victim blaming during his time at the community. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage are arguing their years of domestic work in the sect was as…
: A busload of Gloriavale Christian Community residents made a show of unity outside the Christchurch Courthouse yesterday to support the community’s shepherds, or leaders, as six ex-residents began another case in the Employment Court. Gloriavale resident Priscilla Steadfast told Newshub it was all about ensuring their side of the story…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | A former Gloriavale resident “beat one young fella up” for harassing his daughter, hoping it would send a message that she was off limits. Isaac Pilgrim is giving evidence at the Employment Court in Christchurch, which is deciding whether commune members are employees or…
: By Dr Liz Gordon |Insight Aotearoa | Blog It is difficult to fathom the arguments being made in court about the ‘Gloriavale six’ – six women who revealed that women at Gloriavale were expected to do women’s work from a young age and, as adults, for around 90 hours per…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | A man born and raised at Gloriavale has revealed he pulled his family out of the community due to the way his wife and daughter were treated – including being “publicly ridiculed and humiliated” and forced to work. Isaac Pilgrim said he was…
: NZ Herald – 30/08/2022 One of the young ”stars” of the infamous television shows documenting life at Gloriavale says she often woke at 2am to get her work done and was made to feel “evil” when her husband became so unwell she had to care for him full time instead…
: 1News – 30/08/2022 Forced to slog for long hours and publicly humiliated for small misdemeanours, the working lives of women at Gloriavale have been laid bare at the Employment Court in Christchurch. Read more here: https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/08/30/poor-working-conditions-of-gloriavale-women-laid-bare-in-court/…
: RNZ – 30/08/2022 A court has been told victim blaming and shaming was standard at Gloriavale, where girls caught in inappropriate relationships with married men were called ‘whores’. Six former Gloriavale women want the Employment Court to rule they were employees, not volunteers, during their time at the West Coast…
: Newshub – 30/08/2022 A court has heard a Gloriavale woman sometimes didn’t eat or drink while working extremely long hours, and would get in trouble if she stopped. She’s one of six former members seeking a ruling from the Employment Court that they were employees, not volunteers, at the Christian…
: Newshub – 30/08/2022 A former resident of Gloriavale has given a damning assessment of life in the secretive community, recalling the “creepy” and aggressive behaviour of the leaders and fearing for his daughter’s safety. Isaac Pilgrim was giving evidence at the Employment Court in Christchurch, where the judge was told…
: 1News – 30/08/2022 A former Gloriavale resident “beat one young fella up” for harassing his daughter, hoping it would send a message that she was off limits. “I would come and check up on Serena because there would be guys around. “I was worried about young fellas harassing Serena. I…
: Michael Morrah, Newshub – 29/08/2022 A former member of the secretive Gloriavale community says residents there are “brainwashed” from a young age with women expected to cook, clean and sew for long hours without taking breaks. The allegations were made at an Employment Court hearing, where it’s being argued women there…
: 1News – 29/08/2022 Six former Gloriavale women who claim they lived in slave-like conditions and worked under a regime of total control will have their case heard by the Employment Court from today. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage contend they were employees…
: RNZ – 29/08/2022 Six former Gloriavale women who claim they lived in slave-like conditions and worked under a regime of total control will have their case heard by the Employment Court from today. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor and Virginia Courage contend they were employees…
: By Anna Leask – NZ Herald A group of women who spent most of their lives at Gloriavale will today begin giving “scandalous” evidence in their bid to get a court to rule they were employees and not volunteers during their time at the secretive Christian community. Serenity Pilgrim, Anna…
: RNZ – 29/08/2022 A former Gloriavale member has told the Employment Court she would work until she fell asleep as a teenager in the closed Christian community. Today marked the beginning of a five-week hearing before chief judge Christina Inglis in Christchurch, where 49 witnesses will provide evidence. Serenity Pilgrim…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | KEY POINTS: Group of ex-Gloriavale women claiming they were subjected to life of servitude Women seeking ruling in Employment Court that they were not volunteers Case follows similar proceedings by group of ex-Gloriavale men earlier in 2022 Court to hear “scandalous” evidence of…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | Women who have left the Gloriavale Christian Community are bringing allegations of exploitation and slavery to the Employment Court. The hearing before Chief Judge Christina Inglis begins on Monday and will decide whether six former Gloriavale members were employees or volunteers. It is set…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 25/08/2022 Six former Gloriavale women will tell a court they lived in “slave-like conditions” working as employees under an all-pervading regime of secular and religious control. The Employment Court will next week hear a case brought by Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal…
: By RNZ – 23/08/2022 Gloriavale has effectively drawn up a blacklist by surveying members’ opposition to people speaking on their behalf in court, the leavers’ support trust says. The reclusive Christian community is examining responses to the ‘Gloriavale Members Voice’ survey created by a member, which asks people if they…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 22/08/2022 Gloriavale residents have been asked to consider putting in writing their opposition to former members speaking on their behalf at an upcoming court case. A survey, titled Gloriavale Members Voice, was created by a resident and has been circulated in the West Coast…
: Newstalk ZB – Mornings with Jack Tame – 20/08/2022 Francesca Rudkin: Gloriavale and Good Luck to you Leo Grande – Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Listen here: https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-morning-with-jack-tame/audio/francesca-rudkin-gloriavale-and-good-luck-to-you-leo-grande/ (First 3 minutes 45 seconds on Gloriavale Movie)…
: By Tom Augustine – NZ Herald – 19/08/2022 There are certainly shades of the addictive true crime documentary formula that has swept the world in the buzzed-about New Zealand/Australia co-production Gloriavale. From its handsome, wintry cinematography to its eerie use of archival footage of the religious sect’s early days, all…
: Description A new documentary hitting cinemas today is lifting the veil on West Coast commune Gloriavale. It follows the lives of two ousted members, John Ready and Virginia Courage, plaintiffs in court proceedings accusing the community leaders of human rights and employment breaches. The gritty watch is a rare snapshot…
: By RNZ / Newshub – 18/08/2022 Sharon Ready has lived in the Gloriavale community for 50 years, first entering as a 15-year-old when the community was based in Springbank, Rangiora. “It’s my turangawaewae,” she says. “This is where I stand because my faith, I started there as a Christian and…
: By James Croot – Stuff – 17/08/2022 Gloriavale (M, 89mins) **** Lifting the veil on “New Zealand’s secret cult” and its apparent fall from utopian ideal to Animal Farm-esque nightmare, this enlightening, heartrending, rage-inducing documentary follows former members as they battle for justice – and reform – from the outside.…
: By RNZ – Nine To Noon – 16/08/2022 A new documentary gives an eye-opening look into the secrets of the Gloriavale Christian Community and the fight for justice by a group of former residents and supporters. The film simply entitled Gloriavale features members of the Ready family as they mount…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 14/08/2022 Gloriavale has been ordered to improve workplace safety standards again after a visit by inspectors, but no children were found working in the reclusive Christian community’s commercial businesses. WorkSafe assessors travelled to Gloriavale near Greymouth in May after a landmark Employment Court ruling…
: By RNZ – Saturday Morning – 13/08/2022 Sharon Ready has lived in the Gloriavale community for 50 years, first entering as a 15-year-old when the community was based in Springbank, Rangiora. “It’s my turangawaewae,” she says. “This is where I stand because my faith, I started there as a Christian…
: By Kelly Eden – MammaMia – 13/08/2022 “We were there for the entire weekend. You can’t make a community of 500 fake it for that long,” I argued. “It seems like a really peaceful place to live.” I could see the attraction for joining, but that was before recent news…
: By Malcolm Hopwood | Ashburton Guardian | Ashburton audiences will have an advance screening this Sunday of a documentary on Gloriavale that opens in New Zealand cinemas the following week. Entitled Gloriavale, the documentary directed by Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady, examines the widespread abuse inside the Gloriavale cult and…
: By Sophie Neville – Woman’s Day – 11/08/2022 Timaru mum Virginia reveals why she and her family had to escape the controversial community. For 27 years, former Gloriavale resident Virginia Courage was tormented by nightmares. She’d often lie awake in the cramped bunk room she shared with her husband and…
: 1News Gloriavale Christian School have confirmed they reopened on Tuesday after it was temporarily closed last week. The principal and several teachers stood aside while a police investigation was carried out on abuse claims. Sources told 1News last week just two teachers were left for 200 students, so parents were…
: 1News – 06/08/2022 It’s hoped a new film about the West Coast commune of Gloriavale will give the public a better insight into the fight for change still being waged. Released on Saturday as part of New Zealand’s International Film Festival, the documentary simply titled Gloriavale follows one woman who…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | The West Coast commune of Gloriavale hopes students will return to its classrooms next week, but expects home-schooling will still be in use. The private school has been temporarily closed after the principal and several teachers stood aside while a police investigation is carried…
: RNZ The Ministry of Education has met with members of Gloriavale today about re-opening the community’s school. The school has been closed since Tuesday due to staff shortages. It is understood a number of staff have stepped down while an investigation is carried out into allegations of abuse at the…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | The Ministry of Education is meeting with staff at Gloriavale Christian School on Friday, in an attempt to get children back in the classroom. The private school has been temporarily closed after the principal and several teachers stood aside while a police investigation is…
: By Steven Walton | Stuff | Gloriavale Christian School has temporarily closed amid a staffing shortage, reportedly caused by allegations of abuse. Nancy Bell, leader of Te Tai Runga (South) at the Ministry of Education confirmed the school’s closure and said it was addressing a staffing shortage. The ministry was…
: By Ric Stevens – Open Justice – NZ Herald 04/08/2022 The Chief Judge of the Employment Court has rejected a bid by Gloriavale’s leaders to have her stand aside from another case involving the employment status of members of the exclusive Christian community. Six former Gloriavale members have brought a…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | Gloriavale Christian School has been temporarily closed pending an investigation into allegations of abuse. The West Coast commune has been at the centre of accusations of sexual and physical abuse for decades, with police and Oranga Tamariki carrying out multiple investigations and laying several…
: By Emma Clifton – Capsule – 03/08/2022 A new documentary, Gloriavale, follows a family from the secretive religious community: siblings John and Virginia, who have both left Gloriavale, and their mother Sharon, who remains. It covers the serious allegations against the Gloriavale leaders, which include sexual abuse, neglect and slavery.…
: Employment Court of New Zealand 03/08/2022 [2022] NZEmpC 138 EMPC 85/2022 INTERLOCUTORY JUDGMENT (NO 5) OF CHIEF JUDGE CHRISTINA INGLIS (Application for recusal) [1] The second defendants (who I will refer to as the Gloriavale defendants) seek orders that I recuse myself from these proceedings. The application is…
: Newshub – The Project – 01/08/2022 Gloriavale is a community shrouded in controversy and mystery. Now a new documentary aims to peel back the curtain. Director Fergus Grady joins us at the desk to talk more. View here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_2S0vzneTg…
: Newshub | The Project NZ | Video Link: Inside Gloriavale | The Project NZ Gloriavale is a community shrouded in controversy and mystery. Now a new documentary aims to peel back the curtain. Director Fergus Grady joins us at the desk to talk more…
: By Damien Venuto – NZ Herald – 28/07/2022 Sharon Ready currently lives above an aircraft hangar that served as the former commercial base for Gloriavale. It’s cold, dark and damp, but she stays on because this is where her family and deceased relatives are located. “Sharon is what I would…
: By Darren Bevan – Newshub – 26/07/2022 One year after being cancelled last minute in Auckland due to COVID-19, cinephiles are rejoicing with the return of the 2022 Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival just days away. The event opens on Thursday in Tāmaki Makaurau with the premiere of…
: By Jake Kenny – Stuff – 25/07/2022 The Gloriavale Christian community has sought a High Court injunction forcing Westland Dairy Company to continue collecting milk from its three farms, saying the farms are not in breach of employment law. The legal action comes a month after Westland Dairy Company announced…
: By Kurt Bayer – NZ Herald – 25/07/2022 Child labour hasn’t been used on Gloriavale’s dairy farms for at least five years, a court heard today as the under-fire Christian community fights to save a lucrative dairy contract. Chinese-owned Westland announced last month it was stopping milk collection from Gloriavale-owned…
: By James Croot and Graeme Tuckett – Stuff – 24/07/2022 The 2022 edition of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival will screen in 14 towns and cities across Aotearoa between July 28 and August 31. From heartfelt dramas to portraits of local artists, portmanteau pictures and documentaries revisiting sometimes…
: By Steve Newall – Flicks – 18/07/2022 As part of our Q&A series for local features playing as part of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival, filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady shed some light on their eye-opening documentary Gloriavale. Describe your film in EXACTLY eight words. One family’s…
: The Platform – 13/07/2022 Leanne Malcolm chats with Noel Smyth about his new documentary film Gloriavale. Watch / Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFx9q1WLFNc…
: Scoop Media – Press Release – 11/07/2022 GLORIAVALE, a compelling new feature documentary which lifts the lid on the infamous Gloriavale Christian Community cult, will have its World Premiere on Saturday 6 August, 2022 at Christchurch’s Isaac Royal Theatre, screening as part of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 10/07/2022 Helpless, severely sleep-deprived and shut in a room where the door handles had been disabled, Sharon Ready was unable to save her cherished youngest daughter from dying before her eyes. The Gloriavale woman, who has 13 children and 71 grandchildren, has opened up…
: By Amanda Cropp – Stuff – 25/06/2022 Countdown’s efforts to make sure that its supply chains aren’t sustaining illegal labour practices, including child labour, have prompted the supermarket chain to question Westland Dairy Company dealings with the Gloriavale Christian Community. The dairy company attempted to distance itself from Gloriavale farms…
: Twitter – John Campbell – 21/06/2022 Twitter conversation – John Campbell, Liz Gregory, Rosanna Overcomer Listen here – (Note: conversation starts at 11 minutes 15 seconds into the recording) www.twitter.com/1NewsNZ/status/1539080676070215680 Will Gloriavale ever change? Join us for a conversation with @JohnJCampbell, Liz Gregory (Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust) and former Gloriavale…
: By Yashas Srinivasa – Stuff – 20/06/2022 A Pleasant Point couple’s blackcurrant business was the supreme winner at the 2022 South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Ara Business Excellence Awards. Tony and Afsaneh Howey’s business, Viberi, also won the global exporter award at the awards, held in multiple events throughout the…
: REX Today Podcast – Hosted by agricultural journalist Dominic George – 20/06/20022 Things are ramping up at Gloriavale as businesses act on the ERA ruling that the Christian community was in breach of labour laws, using child and volunteer labour. Gloriavale has sought a high court injunction forcing Westland Dairy…
: NZ Herald (from Greymouth Star) – 16/06/2022 Westland Milk Products has resumed milk collection from Gloriavale’s Lake Haupiri farms, after the Christian community was granted an interim court injunction to prevent the dairy company from withdrawing. Canaan Farming Ltd says it has received “role model” status in past audits from…
: By Laura Mills – Greymouth Star – 15/06/2022 Westland Milk Products has resumed milk collection from Gloriavale’s Lake Haupiri farms, after the Christian community was granted an interim court injunction to prevent the dairy company from withdrawing. Cannan Farming Ltd says it has received ‘role model’ status in past audits…
: RNZ – Newstalk ZB – Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive – 15/06/2022 Gloriavale has sought an interim injunction to force Westland Dairy to continue collecting its milk. Westland suspended collection after Gloriavale was found to have been in breach of labour laws, including child labour. The injunction would force Westland to…
: By Amanda Cropp – Stuff – 15/06/2022 The Gloriavale Christian community has sought a High Court injunction forcing Westland Dairy Company to continue collecting milk from its three farms. The legal action comes less than a week after Westland Dairy Company, announced it would cease taking Gloriavale milk from June…
: RNZ – 15/06/2022 Gloriavale has sought a High Court injunction forcing Westland Milk to continue collecting milk from the community’s dairy farms. Westland Milk announced it would stop collecting milk from the the reclusive West Coast Christian sect’s farms after the Employment Court ruled members of the community who worked…
: By Laura Mills – Greymouth Star – 14/06/2022 Gloriavale says it is working on getting its unprecedented recent apology to those who have left the Lake Haupiri community. The Gloriavale Christian Community leadership issued the public apology on May 27. However, some leavers are asking why is was not sent…
: 1News – Breakfast – 13/06/2022 A Gloriavale leaver says greater agency involvement is needed to ensure there is meaningful change within the tight knit, secretive West Coast community. Gloriavale has come under fire in recent years amid allegations of serious misconduct, including – but not limited to – labour exploitation…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 13/06/2022 Gloriavale’s leadership is rewriting a controversial document that gives husbands complete control over their wives. TVNZ’s Sunday programme has highlighted the pledge members make when they join the West Coast commune, which includes losing the right to say “no” to sex in marriage.…
: TVOne- Sunday – Leaving Gloriavale Leaving Gloriavale means leaving your home, your family, maybe everything you’ve ever known. Then heading, with little or no money, into a world you’ve been told is damned. But sometimes you have no choice, because you’ve started questioning the leaders. The tight-knit, secretive Christian community…
: By John Campbell – 1News – 12/06/2022 At the end of May, we went to Gloriavale. TVNZ’s Sunday programme had been shooting in Timaru… and on a blue, blue day, we drove north through Geraldine, then Windwhistle (whose name I wanted to use), stopping for a pie at Darfield… and…
: By Laura Mills – Greymouth Star – 09/06/2022 Westland Milk Products announced today it will suspend milk collection from Gloriavale-owned dairy farmers from June 13. In a short statement on behalf of chief executive Richard Wyeth, Chinese-owned Westland Milk said it advised Gloriavale yesterday that it would suspend collection from…
: By Amanda Cropp | Stuff | Westland Milk Products has indefinitely suspended milk collection from dairy farms owned by the Gloriavale Christian Community. The suspension begins on June 13, to coincide with the end of the milking season, so there will be no issues around livestock welfare or milk disposal.…
: By Daniel Anderson – Rural News – 08/06/2022 Hot on the heels of moves by Westland Milk to stop processing its milk, reclusive Christian community Gloriavale looks to be shedding more agribusiness suppliers and customers. Rural News earlier reported that the Hokitika-based processor is considering suspendiing milk collection from Canaan…
: By Staff Reporters – Rural News – 08/06/2022 In late May, the Gloriavale Community issued a public letter of apology in regard to both its past employment and community actions. An abridged version of the letter follows: We can state categorically that child labour is no longer used in the…
: By Grady Connell – Today FM – 03/06/2022 On Tova we have been pushing hard for a review of the charities act following revelations of the mistreatment of their members by some mega-churches and particularly Gloriavale’s reprehensible use of child labour, threats, manipulation and abuse of children. We’ve been asking…
: By Stefan Dimitrof – Maori Television – 02/06/2022 Former Gloriavale resident Constance Ready is healing from her time with the Gloriavale religious sect by finding joy in reconnecting with her Māori roots. Ready talked about growing up at Gloriavale and explained why she left at a recent Real Talk event…
: By Tova O’Brien | Today Breakfast | Faithful Pilgrim’s son and former Gloriavale member, Zion, joined Tova on Wednesday morning. Zion’s father resigned in 2020 as principal of the Gloriavale school for failing to protect children in his care, and spoke about what this further resignation means to him and…
: RNZ – Newstalk ZB – The Mike Hosking Breakfast – 01/06/2022 It’s remaining unclear what the resignation of two senior leaders in Gloriavale will mean for the community. The resignation of Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim follows an unprecedented apology last Friday. Both have faced issues around employment and protecting…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 01/06/2022 Five members of Gloriavale’s leadership team have left in the last two years, and there are calls for more to stand down. Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim on Tuesday resigned as shepherds in the West Coast commune. Stedfast was accused of failing to…
: Newstalk ZB – 01/06/2022 It’s remaining unclear what the resignation of two senior leaders in Gloriavale will mean for the community. The resignation of Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim follows an unprecedented apology last Friday. Both have faced issues around employment and protecting children in their care. Former Gloriavale member…
: RNZ News – 31/05/2022 Two senior Gloriavale leaders, Fervent Steadfast and Faithful Pilgrim, have resigned from their senior positions within the Christian community. Some of the men’s failings were heard in the community’s Employment Court hearing last month. Fervent Steadfast has been accused of improperly handling issues around employment and…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | Two senior leaders at the Christian commune of Gloriavale have stepped down from their roles. Fervent Stedfast has resigned from being a senior community leader, after he was accused of failing to handle employment matters during his time as Gloriavale’s financial controller. He had…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 31/05/2022 Two senior leaders have resigned from their positions at the Gloriavale Christian Community. In a statement, a spokesperson announced Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim had stepped down from their leadership roles. They were part of a leadership group of 16 servants and shepherds…
: NZ Herald (From Greymouth Star) – 31/05/2022 Two of the most senior leaders at the Gloriavale Christian Community have resigned their positions, as the community fulfils its promise to change following the unprecedented public apology last Friday. Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both gone, according to a statement from…
: RNZ – Newstalk ZB – Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby – 31/05/2022 There are concerns that despite the resignation of two senior leaders at Gloriavale, there’s been no real change at the top. Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both left their leadership roles. It follows an unprecedented public apology…
: RNZ – Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive – 31/05/2022 The resignations of two senior leaders of Gloriavale have shocked former members. Fervent Stedfast and Faithful Pilgrim have both left their leadership roles. It comes as the community promises to change in an unprecedented public apology last Friday. Former member Hosea Courage…
: By Amanda Cropp – Stuff – 239/05/2022 GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Evidence of Faithful Disciple’s work at the Gloriavale Christian Community is seared into his flesh. He suffered an excruciating third degree burn to his ankle when a stream of 103C water shot into his gumboot as he struggled to fix…
: RNZ – Checkpoint – Lisa Owen – 27/05/2022 The leadership of Gloriavale is publicly repenting…issuing a statement apologising for failing to protect sex abuse victims and exploited workers. A landmark court decision recently ruled that three former residents of the commune were employees from age six doing strenuous difficult and…
: By Marine Lourens and Rachael Comer – Stuff – 27/05/2022 • The leadership of the Gloriavale Christian community has released a statement apologising for not protecting members against labour exploitation and sexual abuse. • The leaders detailed measures put in place to prevent this from reoccurring in the future. •…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | The trust supporting former members of the reclusive Gloriavale community is surprised the former Christian School principal has not been struck off the register for twice endorsing a teacher he knew had sexually assaulted a nine-year-old girl. Faithful Pilgrim has instead been suspended from…
: Michael Morrah – Newshub – 27/05/2022 Gloriavale’s leaders have issued an unprecedented apology – but it’s been met with caution from former residents. They wrote a letter admitting they failed to protect victims of sexual abuse and labour exploitation, and they’re promising change. Gloriavale’s known for conducting its affairs privately.…
: Newstalk ZB – Heather Du Plessis Allan Drive – 27/05/2022 Warnings it’s far past time Gloriavale asks the outside world what is and isn’t appropriate. The secretive Christian community has apologised today. Several members have been charged for child and sexual abuse crimes and the Employment Court has just ruled…
: RNZ – 27/05/2022 Gloriavale’s leaders have offered a public apology for failing to protect victims of labour exploitation and sexual abuse. The apology comes in the wake of multiple scandals surrounding the reclusive West Coast Christian sect. Just this week Silver Fern Farms pulled out of commercial agreements with the…
: By Anna Leask | NZ Herald | Gloriavale’s leaders have issued an unprecedented public apology today – saying they “denounce any and all offending that has occurred” at their secretive Christian community. “These actions are abhorrent to us,” they said in a statement sent to the Herald. “It is a…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 27/05/2022 Gloriavale’s leadership has issued an apology to current and former members, saying it “draws a firm line in the sand between the past and the future”. The West Coast commune has been at the centre of accusations of sexual and physical abuse for…
: RNZ | Morning Report | A former Gloriavale Christian School principal has been suspended from teaching for three months for twice endorsing a teacher he knew had sexually assaulted a nine-year-old girl. Faithful Pilgrim was sanctioned for serious misconduct by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal for commending Just Standfast as being…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | The principal at the Gloriavale Christian School has been suspended for serious misconduct. A decision by the New Zealand Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal says Faithful Pilgrim was a teacher at the school for 45 years and was principal from 1995 to 2020. It found that…
: By Ryan Boswell | 1News | A teacher at Gloriavale Christian School has had his practising certificate suspended for three months after endorsing a colleague he knew had sexually abused a child. Faithful Pilgrim was the principal of the school between 1995 and 2020. He has been a teacher for…
: by Dubby Henry | NZ Herald | The former principal of Gloriavale Christian School has been banned from leading a school for three years after failing to report a teacher’s sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl. Faithful Pilgrim has admitted he “failed dismally as a principal” when he did not…
: By Laura Mills – Greymouth Star – 25/05/2022 There are signs Gloriavale plans to ride out the current storm of controversy, after suggestions that more businesses may stop working with the 600-strong Lake Haupiri commune. Westland Milk Products says it is investigating legal avenues to possibly suspend milk collection from…
: The Wire – 95 b FM – 25/05/2022 On May 10, New Zealand’s Employment Court reached a landmark decision against the Gloriavale religious community, classifying the work members do as employment, going against their claims that residents were volunteers. This comes after years of allegations against the Christian community that…
: The Press – Editorial – Commercial Ties Should be Cut – 25 May 2022 Gloriavale has had a bad few weeks. Things started to go wrong on May 10, when the Employment Court ruled the secretive West Coast Christian community’s residents were not volunteers while working up to 70-hour weeks…
: By Niva Chittock – RNZ – 24/05/2022 Silver Fern Farms has announced it will no longer be working with the Gloriavale Christian community. “Silver Fern Farms has decided to begin the process to discontinue any commercial arrangements with Value Proteins [Gloriavale’s trading company]. We will now be working with all…
: RNZ – Newstalk ZB – Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive – 24/05/2022 Is Gloriavale the new Russia of the NZ Ag Sector? Silver Fern Farms has announced it will no longer be working with the Gloriavale Christian community after the Employment Court found they were making kids work. It’s National Lamb…
: By Sudesh Kissun – Rural News – 24/05/2022 The reclusive Gloriavale Christian community stands to lose $9 million a year if Westland Milk suspends milk collection from its dairy farms. Hokitika-based processor Westland says it is looking at suspending milk collection from Canaan Farming Dairy Ltd, which operated the Gloriavale…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 24/05/2022 A major meat company is ending its relationship with the Christian commune of Gloriavale over workers’ rights. In a statement to 1News, Silver Fern Farms said it “has decided to begin the process to discontinue any commercial arrangements” with Gloriavale company Value Proteins.…
: By Amanda Cropp – Stuff – 24/05/2022 Silver Fern Farms is pulling out of supplying offal to a meal plant at the Gloriavale Christian Community because of concern about its labour practices, and other meat companies may follow suit. This comes on top of last week’s announcement that Westland Dairy…
: RNZ – Newstalk ZB – Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive – 24/05/2022 Is Gloriavale the new Russia of the NZ Ag Sector? Silver Fern Farms has announced it will no longer be working with the Gloriavale Christian community after the Employment Court found they were making kids work. It’s National Lamb…
: By John Farrow – 20/05/2022 The Chief Judge of the Employment Court recently found that three former members of the Gloriavale Christian Community were employees. They had applied to the court for declarations to this effect. However, due to a complex structure, including limited liability companies, partnerships, a nominee company…
: By David Burton – Stuff Opinion – 18/05/2022 OPINION: For the last few years a group of three former members of the South Island Gloriavale Christian community have been seeking action on what they claimed were extensive breaches of employment rights at Gloriavale. The Labour Inspectorate had already twice visited…
: RNZ – 16/05/2022 Westland Milk is looking to suspend milk collection from dairy farms operated by Gloriavale. Last week the Employment Court ruled that members of the christian community who worked up to 70 hours a week for years were not volunteers. This opens the door for the labour inspectorate…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 15/05/2022 A family who left Gloriavale nine months ago are fundraising for dental treatment they say was caused by years of being deprived of dental care. Hopeful Disciple and his wife Victory left the West Coast Christian community to protect their children. “Wrong was…
: By Andrew Gunn – Stuff – 14/05/2022 OPINION/SATIRE: 215 BC, the Mediterranean Sea. A ROMAN GALLEY SHIP glides across the water. Inside, the GALLEY MASTER presides over a hundred sweaty, half-naked rowers, all toiling to pull their heavy oars to the beat of his drum. GM: Heave! Heave! Heave! There…
: NZ Herald – Hope Project – 14/05/2022 Zion Pilgrim had spent all his life living at Gloriavale on the South Island’s West Coast. It was the only life he knew growing up. But in 2020 he left Gloriavale after questioning the leadership, a decision he doesn’t regret. It was, according…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 13/05/2022 A former lawyer and advocate against sexual misconduct in the workplace who helped trigger New Zealand’s #MeToo movement has been helping a woman escape Gloriavale. The woman, who did not want to be named, fled the secretive West Coast community last year. Olivia…
: Otago Daily Times – Opinion – 12/05/2022 A clutch of government agencies must do some serious soul searching about their inaction over concerns raised about work practices and the treatment of children at the Gloriavale Christian Community. This week, the Employment Court chief judge Christina Inglis found that three former…
: YouTube – BHN – 12/05/2022 Former lawyer. CEO of Startup Queenstown Lakes and the catalyst for the #MeToo movement in NZ, Olivia Wensley, joins us to tell her story of helping a 22-year-old woman and her mother escape Gloriavale after coming and going to the West Coast community for 6…
: RNZ Checkpoint – 12/05/2022 Video and audio can be seen in article link. A former Gloriavale resident who was used as unpaid child labour says it time government agencies went into the closed fundamentalist Christian community, opened their eyes and did their job. In landmark decision this week the employment…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 12/05/2022 A former Gloriavale leader says it is only fair people are compensated for the work they did in creating wealth for the community. The bill could add up to as much as $20 million – but even that wouldn’t bankrupt the asset-rich community,…
: Barbara Bucket and Associates | Scoop Business | The New Zealand Employment Court has released its decision on whether the leadership “Shepherd” members of the Gloriavale Christian Community were employers. MBIE’s Labour Inspectorate had found twice that they were not employees, but the Employment Court found this to be wrong.…
: By Tova O’Brien – Today FM – 11/05/2022 I’m going to tread carefully here because I really don’t want this to be misconstrued as me trampling on anyone’s religious beliefs. I respect everyone’s choice to believe or not believe in any god. What I don’t respect is people hiding behind…
: Newstalk ZB – Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald – 11/05/2022 There is no place in New Zealand for an outfit like Gloriavale. It cannot be allowed to continue operating. And it is absolutely shameful that we have pretty much turned a blind eye to what’s been going on there for…
: By Ireland Hendry-Tennent – Newshub – 11/05/2022 The barrister who led a legal challenge against Gloriavale is hitting out at the Government over its lack of action. It comes after the Employment Court ruled three Gloriavale leavers were in fact employees, not volunteers. Chief Judge Christina Inglis released her reserved…
: By Michael Morrah – Newshub – 11/05/2022 The Charities Services has announced an investigation into Gloriavale and both WorkSafe and the Labour Inspectorate say they’ll be visiting the community, following a landmark Employment Court ruling. But a former Gloriavale leader said he wants to see action, not just noise, and…
: By Jean Edwards – RNZ – 11/05/2022 Workplace inspectors will again visit Gloriavale and the charities regulator has launched a new investigation following a breakthrough Employment Court ruling on child labour at the reclusive Christian community. Government agencies are under pressure to act after the court found children as young…
: | RNZ | A former Gloriavale member who won a legal victory after being used as child labour says he hopes state agencies will investigate further. The Employment Court yesterday found three former members of the reclusive religious sect were effectively employees from the age of six until they left Gloriavale.…
: Newstalk ZB – Canterbury Mornings With John MacDonald – 11/05/2022 Dr Liz Gordon is a former MP and is currently an educational researcher. For 25 years she has been pushing for the closure of the school within Gloriavale, and to make public education possible for its residents. She spoke to…
: Simon Barnett & James Daniels | NewstalkZB | The Employment Court has ruled Gloriavale residents were employees – not volunteers. Hosea and Levi Courage, and Daniel Pilgrim, have now left the religious community, and sought a declaration on their status after leaving school and working at the commune and its…
: NZ Herald – 11/05/2022 A former Gloriavale dairy farmer believes he “possibly” beat schoolboys who worked for him following the Employment Court landmark decision. Yesterday, the court ruled that a group of ex-Gloriavale members were employees at the secretive Christian community – from when they were just 6 years old.…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 11/05/2022 The Government’s Charities Services have opened a new investigation into the charitable status of West Coast Christian community Gloriavale. Charities Services general manager Mike Stone said the investigation would look at whether Gloriavale, as a registered charity, had met its obligations under the…
: Newstalk ZB – Early Edition – 11/05/2022 The spotlight is turning to other cases at Gloriavale which could be described as forced labour. The Employment Court has ruled three ex-residents were employees from the age of six, not volunteers. It found the work can’t be described as chores or education,…
: Tova O”Brien Audio link to interview with Daniel Pilgrim. An Employment Court ruling has found in favour of three former members of the commune all put to work from six years old. The work conditions were laborious, often dangerous, required physical exertion over extended periods to turn a profit that…
: By Jean Edwards | RNZ | Three members of the reclusive Gloriavale Christian community working long hours from the age of six were employees, the Employment Court has ruled. The landmark decision about the “strenuous, difficult and sometimes dangerous” work done by children is likely to have significant ramifications for…
: | RNZ | Checkpoint | It’s clear ready access to child labour is a significant factor in the commercial success of the Gloriavale Christian community, according to the Chief Employment Court judge. Judge Christina Inglis found that three former members of the community were employees, working long hours from the…
: | Newshub | A recent court ruling against Gloriavale classing the children as workers has paved the way for Government intervention, but barrister Brian Henry says a court committee to deal with the community already exists, and so far, “it has done nothing” Video Link: Children working in heavy industry…
: By Michael Morrah – Newshub – 10/05/2022 A former Gloriavale resident is “ecstatic” following a ruling that found three leavers from the Christian community are actually classed as employees. For decades, Gloriavale has relied on child labour to ensure the success of its businesses. But Chief Employment Court Judge Christina…
: By Ireland Hendry-Tennent – Newshub – 10/05/2022 Three Gloriavale leavers have been classified as employees after an Employment Court ruling on Tuesday. Chief Judge Christina Inglis released her reserved decision into whether the leavers were employees of the West Coast Christian community or not. The Labour Inspectorate had previously classified…
: By Anna Leask – NZ Herald – 10/05/2022 Video – see article link. The Employment Court has ruled that a group of ex-Gloriavale members were employees at the secretive Christian community – from when they were just 6 years old. Further, the members undertook “strenuous, difficult, and sometimes dangerous” work…
: By Joanne Naish and Cate Macintosh – Stuff – 10/005/2022 Former Gloriavale members say they are “finally being heard” after the Employment Court’s ruling that they were employees. Two of the three former workers who brought the case, Daniel Pilgrim and Hosea Courage, spoke to media outside Christchurch’s justice precinct…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 10/05/2022 Former Gloriavale members who worked up to 70 hours a week for years were not volunteers, the Employment Court has ruled – a decision which could pave the way for them and others in the community to be compensated. Three former workers brought…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 09/05/2022 A man who spent three years in Gloriavale alleges he was treated like a prisoner and a slave by the community’s leaders. Nishant Adhikari arrived in New Zealand from Nepal in 2003 with his aunt and uncle who were joining the Christian community…
: By Delilah Whaitiri – NZ Herald – 04/05/2022 Real Talk brings together people from all walks of life to share unique and challenging life stories. It provides a safe and comfortable environment, inspiring people through the power of storytelling. Constance Ready will be speaking at the next Rotorua Real Talk…
: By Michael Morrah – Newshub – 25/04/2022 WorkSafe issued Gloriavale nine warnings in the space of less than a year over safety failures at its businesses, Newshub can reveal. Newshub has seen copies of investigators’ notebooks in which one said Gloriavale’s residents had “little to no knowledge” of worker rights.…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A boy who lost three fingers while working at a Gloriavale honey company has dropped his Employment Court case. The 17-year-old has been granted permanent name suppression by Employment Court chief judge Christina Inglis. The case included allegations he lost three fingers while working…
: | NZ Herald | An Abuse in Care Royal Commission inquiry into the Anglican Church is now calling for any survivors of abuse at Gloriavale. The commission’s faith investigation will now include the Methodist, Presbyterian and Salvation Army faiths. It is also seeking evidence from survivors of abuse in three…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 07/04/2022 Police have identified 61 people as being involved in alleged offending at Gloriavale. Operation Minneapolis was launched in July 2020 after claims of sexual abuse against women and children at the West Coast commune. Police and Oranga Tamariki worked on the investigation, which…
: Radio New Zealand (RNZ) – 02/04/2022 The charities regulator has again been asked to investigate the trust behind the reclusive Gloriavale Christian Community on the South Island’s West Coast. The Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust has written to Charities Services asking it to examine the Christian Church Community Trust as a…
: By Lee Kenny | Stuff | Six former residents of Gloriavale Christian Community, all of them women, have won the right to have their case heard in the Employment Court. The case will be treated as urgent to ensure the safety of other females, including young girls, who still live…
: By Belinda Feek – NZ Herald – 28/03/2022 A second group of former Gloriavale residents have won a bid to have their employment status heard in the Employment Court. A three week hearing is now being organised to determine whether Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valor…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 13/03/2022 Children who work for long hours at Gloriavale under threat of hell, being hit, starved or kicked out if they refuse are not slaves, a court has heard. Three leavers have lodged a case in the Employment Court against the attorney-general and leaders…
: By Kurt Bayer – NZ Herald – 12/03/2022 A “significant cluster” of Covid-19 cases has broken out at the Gloriavale Christian community. It’s understood that members are now self-isolating inside the closed religious community, which has about 600 members on sprawling land at Haupiri, 60km inland from Greymouth on the…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 10/03/2022 A police letter to the Gloriavale Christian Community reveals a list of places where harmful sexual behaviour was taking place – including inside a dinosaur in the dining room. A police inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse at the West Coast community…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 07/03/2022 A secret audio recording has captured Gloriavale leader Howard Temple saying workers at the community are “nothing” and “nobody” who need to completely obey everything the leaders say, or leave. The audio, released to Stuff by the Employment Court, was recorded by a…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 03/03/2022 The Employment Court has heard Gloriavale gets more than $2 million a year in Government tax credits. Charity Christian oversees the administration of the commune’s sharing account, which is used to buy clothing, food and to “care for people”. She said the money…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 02/03/2022 A senior Gloriavale leader will not be giving evidence to an Employment Court, despite filing a brief of evidence. Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian’s son Mark Christian was due to give evidence on Wednesday, but the defence did not call him without providing any…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 01/03/2022 Gloriavale leaders have made a concerted effort to reduce the workload of “single ladies” who prepare meals for nearly 600 people, three times a day. That was the evidence of Gloriavale administrator Serenity Valor, to an Employment Court hearing on Monday. She said…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 01/03/2022 An office administrator at Gloriavale has refuted claims that members are volunteers. Serenity Valor told the Employment Court that workers in the commune’s commercial companies are self-employed contractors, who donate their wages back to the Christian Church Community Trust. “So they’re contracting their…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 28/02/2022 The Labour Inspectorate concedes it gave little weight to the documents Gloriavale members sign waiving workers’ rights. Senior labour inspector Hannah Crampton appeared before the Employment Court on Monday, where she was questioned about her investigation into long working hours at the commune.…
: By Carolyne Meng-Yee – NZ Herald – 26/02/2022 At Gloriavale, Levi Courage felt that he had no freedom, no money, no way out. On a rainy night last June Courage finished work and told his parents, Aaron and Joy, he was leaving Gloriavale – for good. He took a change…
: By Joanne Naish and Amber Allott – Stuff – 26/02/2022 Have New Zealand authorities been turning a blind eye to generations of slavery at Gloriavale or are its members willing volunteers? And why is the government pouring millions of dollars into this remote community? Joanne Naish and Amber Allott report.…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 24/02/2022 A leader of Gloriavale has defended the community’s way of life and rejected claims of slavery. Peter Righteous, a senior leader or servant, said people at Gloriavale willingly submitted themselves to the Overseeing Shepherd and shepherds and worked for the community, which lived…
: By 1 News – Breakfast – 24/02/2022 A former Gloriavale resident says ex-members have been taking their stories to court because they want them heard and legally acknowledged. Lilia Tarawa, author of book Daughter of Gloriavale who went viral for a TEDx Talk on the West Coast commune, told Breakfast…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 24/02/2022 A senior leader in the Christian commune of Gloriavale claims members “choose to live a sharing, communal life” in the hope of “perfect obedience to God”. Peter Righteous appeared before the Employment Court on Thursday, which is considering whether Gloriavale residents are employees…
: By Amber Allott – Stuff – 23/02/2022 Forty of Sharon Ready’s 71 grandchildren still live in the isolated West Coast Christian community of Gloriavale. Ready still calls it home herself, and has since its inception in North Canterbury, in 1969. But now she has tearfully spoken out against it at…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 23/02/2022 A former Gloriavale member struggled to hold back tears on Wednesday as he described the West Coast commune as a “brutal control regime”. Faithful Disciple is giving evidence in an Employment Court case to decide whether Gloriavale residents are volunteers or not. Last…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1News – 23/02/2022 Former Gloriavale members are being questioned about their so-called “choice” to stay in the West Coast commune. The Employment Court is considering whether those living at Gloriavale are employees or volunteers. The Labour Inspectorate ruled out investigating claims of long working hours last…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 22/02/2022 A child was chained to a steel post at Gloriavale because his father did not know how to look after him, a former community leader has told a court. Zion Pilgrim was a senior leader, or servant, at Gloriavale until he left in…
: By Joanne Naish – Stuff – 21/02/2022 A former Gloriavale member has told a court he was beaten with a shovel and starved for not working fast enough when he was a child in the community. Hosea Courage is one of a group of former Gloriavale members fighting against the…
: By Michael Morrah – Newshub – 21/02/2022 A former member of Gloriavale on the West Coast says he was hit with a shovel handle and denied food for not working fast enough as a six-year-old. The testimony was revealed as part of an employment court case examining whether those at…
: By Ryan Boswell – 1 News – 21/02/2022 The Employment Court is considering whether those living at the West Coast commune of Gloriavale are workers or volunteers. Three former residents are challenging a Labour Inspectorate ruling that found they are volunteers and were, therefore, not entitled to pay or employment…
: By Anna Leask – NZ Herald – 21/02/2022 A group of ex-Gloriavale members have taken the secretive Christian community to court in a bid to determine their employment status while they lived there and ascertain whether they were wrongly exploited as workers. Leavers Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi Courage…
: By Rachael Comer – Stuff – 19/02/2022 A couple who featured prominently in television documentaries depicting life in Gloriavale have left the secretive religious community. Now members of the public are rallying to support Paul and Pearl Valor as they adjust to life on the outside, settling in South Canterbury,…
: By Tom Hunt – Stuff – 15/02/2022 The Government is being called on to join most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in making driver licence testing an essential service. The call is being led by The Driving Change Network, which aims to make driving education and…
: RNZ Checkpoint – By Nick Truebridge – 15/02/2022 Recent Gloriavale escapees are among the many New Zealanders banned from practical driving tests because they haven’t been vaccinated. It comes as the government continues to face pressure on classing practical driving tests an essential service. It’s so far refused to budge…
: NZ Stuff on TikTok – How Gloriavale started: Part 1 ( Lets Talk About Sects Sarah Steel 13/04/2021) Listen / Watch here: https://www.tiktok.com/foryou?_d=secCgwIARCbDRjEFSADKAESPgo8liTnvXFDlKZaebni%2FPjqp1SyXT%2BOc3tscADDQmeovW4A0WCUXXc74LZzfNTy5k%2BSkegO%2BC5SQgdpFNdcGgA%3D&_r=1&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7060396586865560833&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAvZAQu-6_4Ufzaub41bQ9WlEBMUonhsOOSy6JvbhEucM4byR2AbmOMxReHalfc3Ru&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=7060396586865560833&share_link_id=897173dc-8137-41fb-a45b-2d806f0291a5&source=h5_m×tamp=1644006243&u_code=deeh9d8909343l&user_id=6873338291514033157&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=android&utm_source=messenger#/@nzstuff/video/7060396586865560833 Or search for Podcast – Sarah Steel – Lets Talk About Sects – Gloriavale Part 1 and 2 …
: By RNZ (Radio New Zealand) – 08/02/2022 One of New Zealand’s most remote and isolated communities has now reached 90 percent of its population over 12 getting at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Lake Brunner, on the West Coast, is home to Gloriavale Christian Community and was once…
: You Tube – Illuminaughti PLEASE NOTE: There are many inaccuracies in this podcast – including the following: Haupiri Valley (not Haupiori) Neville Cooper did not set up Gloriavale in 1969 – he established Springbank community first, then when the community moved to Haupiri Valley over a period of years in…
: By Catrin Owen and Edward Gay | Stuff | Convicted child sex offender Tony* has recently been released from prison. He told Stuff what life behind bars was like, his rehabilitation and life afterwards. Psychologist Greg Woodcock helps men like Tony face up to what they’ve done and to prevent future offending.…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A man working as a teacher at Gloriavale Christian Community who assaulted and verbally abused children in his care hopes to teach there again. Vigilant Standtrue, 39, pleaded guilty in the Greymouth District Court in November to three charges of assaulting three boys aged…
: By Joanne Naish | Stuff | A man working as an unregistered teacher at Gloriavale Christian Community assaulted and verbally abused children in his care Vigilant Standtrue, 39, pleaded guilty in the Greymouth District Court last week to three representative charges of assaulting three boys aged between 9 and 11.…
: By Laura Mills | Star News | Additional Reporting by Dubby Henry NZ Herald Gloriavale Christian Community school teachers have joined the community’s midwives and accepted their Covid vaccinations. Under the Government mandate, the teachers would have had to have been stood down yesterday if they were not vaccinated. Gloriavale…
: By Joanna Naish & Steven Walton- Stuff – 19/11/2021 The area that includes the Gloriavale Christian Community has had the biggest percentage point jump for first doses of any suburb nationwide. Just 343 of Lake Brunner’s eligible population of 593 people had rolled up their sleeve for the first jab…
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