Finding Lilia

November 7, 2017: | Sunday | TVNZ | When SUNDAY first met Lilia Tarawa, she’d been brainwashed. Born in the isolated religious sect Gloriavale, the 16 year old had been raised to believe everyone in the outside world was destined to burn in hell. Her life was one of obedience and submission. A…

Ex-Gloriavale member tells of life inside the cult

September 19, 2017: By Woman’s Day – 19/09/2017 (Video can be viewed in article link). As she curls up on the couch in her townhouse on the outskirts of Christchurch, Lilia Tarawa looks every bit the successful businesswoman. With her runway looks and easy laugh, the 26-year-old business mentor chats about leadership, her…

Melanie Reid: Going undercover in Gloriavale still haunts me

March 30, 2017: |Stuff | Newsroom | Melanie Reid | This story was originally published on Newsroom.co.nz  and is republished with permission. It’s now more than 20 years since Melanie Reid went “undercover” to report on the Cooperite community based on a remote West Coast farm. The Christian Community, now known as Gloriavale, was back…

Inside Gloriavale: Going undercover still haunts me

March 29, 2017: | Newsroom | Melanie Reid | It’s now more than 20 years since Melanie Reid went “undercover” to report on the Cooperite community based on a remote West Coast farm. The Christian Community, now known as Gloriavale, was back in the news this week when Newsroom revealed the findings of…

The Gloriavale child death that the community tried to cover up

August 15, 2016: By: Paula Penfold and Eugene Bingham – 15/08/2016 (Video can be viewed in article link). How has a reclusive Christian community managed to cover up the death of a child, in concerning circumstances, for more than a year? And why? The Circuit team investigates. We’ve never met Sharon Ready, or…