Gloriavale member strikes back at ‘slave’ claims as case resumes

February 13, 2023: 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.…

Gloriavale Employment Court case resumes ahead of chief judge’s visit to community

February 13, 2023: 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…

Gloriavale “Servitude” Case Re-Starts in Employment Court On Monday “We’re here to finish a job.”

February 10, 2023: 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…

Gloriavale site visit planned for Chief Employment Court Judge during next phase of ‘servitude’ trial between leavers and Christian community

January 18, 2023: 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…

Gloriavale sack lawyers as cost becomes unsustainable

December 21, 2022: 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…

Gloriavale spends just over $20 a week per person on food – expert witness

September 30, 2022: 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…

Stuff: Authority, abuse allegations and getting out: What we learned about Gloriavale over the past few weeks

September 30, 2022: 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…

RNZ: Gloriavale leader’s granddaughter denies claims of inappropriate behaviour

September 29, 2022: 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…