Cults and Sects Archives – Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust

Growing up Māori at Gloriavale: Valiant Overcomer’s story

May 13, 2026: | RNZ | MATA Reports | [PG] At 14, Valiant Overcomer and two of his sisters fled the only world they’d ever known: Gloriavale. The Overcomers were one of the few whānau Māori in the isolated Christian community. Click to watch the documentary here…

Articles, Cults and Sects

Lawyer calls for Louise Upston to resign after being ‘duped’ by Gloriavale leaders

March 6, 2026: | RNZ | Jean Edwards | Senior government minister Louise Upston was duped by Gloriavale leaders on a visit to the West Coast Christian community and should resign, a leavers’ lawyer says. The Social Development Minister visited Gloriavale on 30 January where she met Overseeing Shepherd Stephen Standfast, senior leaders…

Articles, Cults and Sects, Videos

She Escaped Gloriavale Cult & Found Her Voice as a Woman: Lilia Tarawa

January 22, 2026: | The Kotodama Podcast | Ep.21 | What happens when the place that raised you also abused and silenced you? In this deeply moving episode of the Kotodama Podcast, I sat down with Lilia Tarawa — bestselling author, brand coach, and former member of the infamous Gloriavale cult. Born into…

Cults and Sects, Videos

Gloriavale: Life Inside a Closed Religious Community | Dark & Investigative

January 14, 2026: | Stella Crime | Behind the peaceful image of rural New Zealand lies Gloriavale — a closed religious group where every aspect of life is controlled. Men, women, and children live under strict rules, limited contact with the outside world, and unquestioned authority. Former members describe psychological pressure, loss of…

Articles, Cults and Sects, Videos

NZ still failing to protect people from high-control groups – cult survivor

January 10, 2026: | 1News | Ryan Boswell | More than two decades after Auckland’s Centrepoint community was shut down, one survivor says New Zealand is still failing to protect people from high-control groups. Caroline Ansley, who lived at Centrepoint as a child, is joining forces with other cult survivors and their supporters…

Articles, Cults and Sects, Videos

Escaping New Zealand’s Gloriavale: Cult Leader’s Granddaughter Exposes ALL [2]

December 29, 2025: | Cults to Consciousness | Lilia Tarawa | Following up our incredible interview with Lilia Tarawa, today we go LIVE with her to further discuss what it was like escaping the Gloriavale cult. Founded by her grandfather, who was inspired by the Amish in the US, Gloriavale became an isolated…

Articles, Cults and Sects, Videos

Daughter of Gloriavale: My Life in a Religious Cult [1]

December 27, 2025: | Cults to Consciousness | Lilia Tarawa | Lilia Tarawa was raised in an isolated community in New Zealand started by her grandfather, called Gloriavale. Inspired by the Amish in the US, he implemented communal living, strict gender roles and even identical uniforms for its members. The numbers grew rapidly,…

Articles, Cults and Sects

Howard Temple’s abuse and Gloriavale’s petri dish of power, patriarchy & isolation – Paula Gosney

December 12, 2025: | NZ Herald | Paula Gosney | Paula Gosney’s doctoral work examines grooming, female objectification and the power dynamics that enable sexual abuse. As Gloriavale’s former leader is sentenced, academic researcher Paula Gosney argues that New Zealand is failing the hundreds of children who live within the community. Child Sexual…

Articles, Cults and Sects, Videos

Part Two Can You Escape a High Control Group Like This

December 12, 2025: | Laura X Timber | In this powerful interview, we sit down with the woman leading the rescue mission for people escaping the Gloriavale cult — one of New Zealand’s most extreme and isolated religious communities. Liz from the Gloriavale Leavers Trust reveals: This episode dives deep into themes of…

Articles, Cults and Sects

The Panel Plus: Gloriavale

December 9, 2025: | RNZ | The Panel Plus | Wallace Chapman talks to Dr Rebecca Meiring, senior lecturer in exercise sciences at Auckland University about her research into the relationship between lifestyle behaviours and menopause. Then he talks to Decult director Anke Richter about New Zealand’s history of cults and whether we…

Growing up Māori at Gloriavale: Valiant Overcomer’s story

Lawyer calls for Louise Upston to resign after being ‘duped’ by Gloriavale leaders

She Escaped Gloriavale Cult & Found Her Voice as a Woman: Lilia Tarawa

Gloriavale: Life Inside a Closed Religious Community | Dark & Investigative

NZ still failing to protect people from high-control groups – cult survivor

Escaping New Zealand’s Gloriavale: Cult Leader’s Granddaughter Exposes ALL [2]

Daughter of Gloriavale: My Life in a Religious Cult [1]

Howard Temple’s abuse and Gloriavale’s petri dish of power, patriarchy & isolation – Paula Gosney

Part Two Can You Escape a High Control Group Like This

The Panel Plus: Gloriavale

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Growing up Māori in Gloriavale: loving and leaving the only community you know