: | TheCinemaholic| Shivangi Sinha | Phil Cooper had known his father, Neville Cooper, as the leader of a religious commune in New Zealand. The childhood he experienced was far from ordinary, and as the years passed, Phil began to question many of the beliefs, teachings, and ways of life that…
: | TheCinemaholic | Shivangi Sinha | In 2018, when Neville Cooper, also known as Hopeful Christian, passed away, the position of “overseeing shepherd” within the Gloriavale community became vacant. It was then that Howard Temple, one of the group’s senior leaders who had been associated with the community since the…
: | Cinemaholic | Shivangi Sinha | Stephen Standfast was no stranger to life within the Gloriavale community. Having grown up there, he was familiar with its way of life. In 2023, he was appointed interim overseeing shepherd, a leadership position responsible for handling many of the community’s executive and administrative…
: | The Timaru Herald | Rachel Comer | An apprentice baker is seeking another piece of the pie as she prepares for her third shot at a national award. Gloriavale leaver Lianna MacFarlane, an employee at Timaru’s popular U-Bake, was second in the Apprentice Pie Maker Awards in 2024, with her…
: | RNZ | Craig McCulloch | Education Minister Erica Stanford has dumped rushed plans for new restrictions on homeschooling after a loud backlash from those affected. Parties from across both the coalition and opposition claimed credit for the backdown on Wednesday, while Stanford pitched it as the government heeding public…
: | NZ Today| 全搜索深度调查记者Josh | The latest reporting on Gloriavale is not only a story about one isolated Christian community on the West Coast. It is a test of how New Zealand responds when housing, schooling, work, faith and social authority are concentrated inside a closed system. RNZ reported on…
: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Some Gloriavale homeschooling families are living and learning in overcrowded hostels that could be unsafe and some of the children are struggling to write, the Education Review Office has found. The findings are detailed in a summary of the agency’s special review of homeschooling by 28…
: | The Press | Cate McIntosh | Home schoolers say a last minute education law amendment which would significantly scale up oversight of home schooling has unfairly tarnished the 11,000 students in the sector by linking it with Gloriavale. Minister of Education Erica Stanford added several amendments to the Education…
: | 1News | James Fleury & Reuben Smith | The national body for home schoolers is calling last minute changes to an education bill “wrong and undemocratic”. On Monday, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced proposed amendments to the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill, which had already passed its…
: | TV Insider | Amanda Bell | They say it’s faith. Others call it a cult. With rare access inside Gloriavale, Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal reveals a closed religious community facing allegations of abuse and cover-ups. Stream the new Paramount+ Original documentary June 2, exclusively on Paramount+. If you haven’t…