The Gloriavale Christian Community
(also known as the Cooperites) is a small and isolated community
located at Haupiri on the West Coast of the South Island in New
Zealand. It has an estimated population of over 600. It has operated
on a property owned by a registered charity since 2008.
History
The group was founded in 1969 by
Neville Cooper (aka "Hopeful Christian"), an
Australian-born preacher who was invited to New Zealand, having
earlier (as a member of the Voice of Deliverance Evangelist Mission)
survived a near fatal 1965 plane crash in south-east Queensland.
Cooper founded what became known as the
Springbank Christian Community near Christchurch, moving to a larger
property on the West Coast of New Zealand between 1991 and 1995 when
the community grew too large for its existing home. This new
settlement, located in the Haupiri Valley was named "Gloriavale",
and established the existing Gloriavale Christian Community, roughly
60 kilometers (37 mi) inland from Greymouth.
Public apology
On 27 May 2022, Gloriavale's leadership
issued a public apology for various sexual and child abuses and
labour exploitations that occurred within their community. The
leadership claimed that much had changed at Glorivale following the
resignation of their previous leader and founder in 2018. The
leadership agreed to allow young people to make decisions on whether
to continue living at Gloriavale or moving out once they had matured.
To address future sexual offending, the leadership established a
"Child Protection Leads team" that answered directly
to Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry of Children). The leadership also
claimed to have developed a new child protection policy which
encouraged members to report acts of abuse to the Police, Child
Protection Leads team, and Oranga Tamariki. They also claimed to have
restructured their business operations to allow parents to spend more
time with their children after 3pm.
On 31 May, two senior Gloriavale
leaders Fervent Steadfast and Faithful Pilgrim resigned from their
positions as senior community leaders following the public apology.
Steadfast had previously served as Gloriavale's financial controller
and had been accused of mishandling employment issues within the
community. Pilgrim had previously served as the Principal of
Gloriavale Christian School until his resignation in 2020 for failing
to protect pupils in his care.
Overview
Known by some outsiders as the
"Cooperites" after their leader Neville Cooper, the group
rejects this name and members refer to themselves only as Christians.
Members of the community live a fundamentalist Christian life in
accordance with their interpretation of the teachings of the New
Testament. The community attempts to uphold the example of the first
Christian church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41–47) for its principles of
sharing and holding all things in common.
The group teaches that the only true
way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to
the commands of God. The group's beliefs are set out in What We
Believe, the doctrinal book written by the group, covering the way
its members should live, what they should believe, and how they
should behave. The book is not taken to replace the authority of the
Bible within the group, instead outlining its doctrines with
supporting Bible verses.
The community earns its income from
several ventures including dairying, deer and sheep farms. The
community also earns income from the manufacture of gardening
products made from sphagnum moss, as well as formerly running scenic
and charter flights from Greymouth through their company Air West
Coast.
The community runs Gloriavale Christian
School, a private coeducational composite (years 1–13) school with
a roll of 200. The school moved to the West Coast in 1990.
Demographics
Statistics New Zealand designates
Gloriavale as a rural settlement, covering 20.73 km2 (8.00 sq mi)
around the community.
The Gloriavale settlement had a usual
resident population of 609 people at the 2018 New Zealand census, an
increase of 114 people (23.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase
of 249 people (69.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 285 males and
324 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.88 males per female. Of the
total population, 366 people (60.1%) were aged up to 15 years, 120
(19.7%) were 15 to 29, 108 (17.7%) were 30 to 64, and 18 (3.0%) were
65 or older.
In terms of ethnicity, 100.0% of the
population identified as European (Pākehā), 3.4% as Māori, and
0.5% as Pacific peoples (totals add to more than 100% since people
could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Media coverage
In 2016, a three-part documentary on
TVNZ 2 extensively covered the community, with the documentary team
being given unprecedented access to the community. The series is
available online within New Zealand. An additional set of 8
mini-episodes, titled Gloriavale: The Return was released in 2018.
Television channels made additional films about the community in 2017
and 2018. In 2022, the documentary film Gloriavale was released,
profiling the community and the Ready family court case.
Controversies
Cult allegations
Those who leave the community are
sometimes shunned and denied contact with family members who have not
left Gloriavale; because most residents in Gloriavale are born into
the community, this can often comprise a person's entire family. The
Apologetics Index, a Christian cult-watching organization, refers to
Gloriavale as a "cult, both theologically and
sociologically", stating that "theologically, this
group is a cult of Christianity, as its theology – as well as its
practices based on that theology – places it well outside the
boundaries of the Christian faith." A wide-ranging
government investigation into the community began in 2015, leading to
a number of charges. A police investigation is still ongoing, with no
charges yet brought against Gloriavale or members of its community.
Lilia Tarawa at TEDxChristchurch,
2017
In 2017, Lilia Tarawa, the
granddaughter of Gloriavale's founder, spoke at a TEDx Christchurch
conference on her experiences growing up as a member of the
community. The talk was inspired by her autobiographical book
Daughter of Gloriavale, released the same year. Tarawa described
abusive practices as part of daily life for members of Gloriavale,
including beatings, forced marriages, and psychological control,
leading some of Gloriavale's members – including some of Tarawa's
siblings – to run away from the community. The video of Tarawa's
talk became widely popular online following its upload to YouTube. As
of September 2022, the video has over 12,218,564 views.
Stories of child abuse, rape, and other
forms of cruelty and subjugation have also emerged from other former
members. News of controversial practices in the community led to the
police making daily checks on the community in 2018.
COVID-19 pandemic
On 29 March 2020, it was reported that
members of the Gloriavale community were failing to comply with
lockdown procedures amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in New
Zealand, with reports that childcare at community-run daycare
centres, lessons at community-run schools, and meetings were all
continuing despite social distancing measures. Police forces within
the area later confirmed that they were working with Gloriavale in
order to ensure that members of its community abided by lockdown
restrictions.
Abuse allegations
In 1995, Neville Cooper was jailed for
almost a year on sexual abuse charges. He was convicted based on the
testimonies of his son and a young woman who had fled the compound.
Cooper later changed his name to Hopeful Christian. Cooper died of
cancer on 15 May 2018, aged 92.
In July 2020, the New Zealand Police in
conjunction with Oranga Tamariki launched Operation Minneapolis, an
investigation into child abuse at Gloriavale, after receiving
information about alleged abuse of an 11-year-old boy. In September
2020, a 20-year-old man was charged with doing an indecent act on
three boys between the ages of 12 and 16 years. He was discharged in
September 2021 without conviction after pleading guilty – the
offences had occurred when he himself was a teenager and the court
felt there was a low risk of him reoffending.
On 12 February 2021, the police laid
charges of child abuse against two other members; an adult and a
child.
On 22 March 2021, 1 News reported that
two Christchurch-based lawyers Nicholas Davidson KC and Stephanie
Grieve had been asked by the trustees of Gloriavale's governing
Christian Church Community Trust to hold an independent inquiry of
allegations of sexual abuse at Gloriavale.
On 4 August 2021, a former Gloriavale
man pleaded guilty in the Greymouth District Court to eight charges
of indecently assaulting girls, two charges of indecently assaulting
a boy, and one count of sexual violation.
On 11 August 2021, the New Zealand
Police, Oranga Tamariki and the Teaching Council confirmed that they
were investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse of
students at Gloriavale's school, which has 204 students ranging from
Year 1 to Year 11. Several staff had also been stood down for
unspecified reasons. Police claimed that at least 60 people in
Gloriavale had been involved in "harmful sexual behavior".
On 26 May 2022, the New Zealand
Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal suspended the teaching license of
former Gloriavale Christian School principal Faithful Pilgrim for
three years. Pilgrim had endorsed the teaching license of a teacher
named Just Standfast, who had sexually abused a child on two
occasions in 2012 and 2016. The Tribunal had investigated Pilgrim
after receiving a complaint from the Gloriavale Leaders' Trust that
he had endangered children by covering up the teacher's offending.
Standfast had pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual contact with a
child in 2019.
In mid September 2022, Gloriavale
Christian School principal Rachel Stedfast claimed that a small group
of people had made a coordinated campaign to close down the school by
filing complaints against most of its teachers. As a result of the
complaints, the affected teachers had been suspended from their
teaching duties while the complaints were being investigated.
Stedfast stated that none of the suspended teachers had been accused
of physical sexual abuse.
In early November 2022, Gloriavale
member and dairy worker Tim Disciple had his prison sentence for
indecent assault reduced. Disciple had been sentenced in June 2022 to
two years and five months in jail after being convicted of seven
charges of indecent assault against five victims including minors
between 2000 and 2006. Disciple successfully appealed against his
sentence to the High Court where Judge Jonathan Eaton reduced his
sentence to 21 months. In addition, Disciple's name suppression was
lifted, allowing the media to cover his case.
Lawsuits
In February 2021, a former Gloriavale
member named John Ready filed a civil claim at the Christchurch High
Court seeking to remove the board of trustees of the Christian Church
Community Trust, the registered charity behind Gloriavale, and
replace them with a public trust. Defendants named in the lawsuit
included Fervent Steadfast, Faithful Pilgrim and Gloriavale leader
Howard Temple.
In mid-May 2021, Stuff and The New
Zealand Herald obtained court documents relating to Ready's lawsuit
against the Gloriavale. Ready and his fellow plaintiffs have alleged
that the community bred "sexual predators",
exploited members as forced labour, and required members to give up
all their possessions, including property, money, and any future
earnings to the Christian Church Community Trust. Gloriavale's
leadership has denied these allegations, contesting that they are
untrue or historical.
The legal action concluded 10 June
2021, with the Christian Community Charitable Trust agreeing to be
overseen by the Public Trust for a period of 18 months. During this
time the Public Trust will provide regular reports to the High Court
of New Zealand.
Workplace exploitation
Official investigations
In late September 2020, WorkSafe New
Zealand dispatched inspectors to Gloriavale to investigate claims
that some members had been forced to work for more than 20 hours a
day. The news company Newshub also reported that current Gloriavale
members had been targeted by the sect's leadership for speaking to
the media. As a result of the Newshub investigation, Justice Minister
Andrew Little had ordered the police, WorkSafe and the Labour
Inspectorate to launch a second investigation into allegations of
"controlling behavior" and labour exploitation at
Gloriavale.
On 1 October, Little, in his capacity
as Minister of Workplace Relations, ordered a major review into
practices at Gloriavale after Newshub obtained a government report
from July 2017 reporting "oppressive psychological
practices", possible exploitation, bullying, manipulation
and coercion within the community. On 2 October, WorkSafe instructed
Gloriavale's leadership to improve their work practices but found no
evidence to suggest that the religious community was not managing the
risk of workplace fatigue. WorkSafe had conducted a workplace
assessment during which a team of four inspectors assessed
Gloriavale, four subsidiary companies, and 13 workers.
On 10 August 2021, 1 News reported that
several former Gloriavale members had alleged that they had been
forced to sign a document waiving their right to legal advice when
joining the community. The Labour Inspectorate also investigated a
so-called partnership agreement as part of its inquiry into long
working conditions.
May 2022 Employment Court ruling
On 21 February 2022, three former
Gloriavale residents – Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi
Courage – challenged two earlier Labour Inspectorate inquiries in
both 2017 and 2020, which found that they were volunteers and thus
not entitled to pay or employment rights. Consequently, the Labour
Inspectorate had declined to investigate the labour conditions,
including alleged long working hours, at Gloriavale. The plaintiffs
want the Employment Court to determine their employment status while
they lived at Gloriavale and to determine whether they were exploited
as workers. Courage alleged that Gloriavale residents were forced to
work and beaten and starved as punishment for refusing to work or not
working fast enough. Courage also alleged that he was beaten by his
parents and authority figures.
On 10 May 2022, the Employment Court
ruled in favour of Courage, Pilgrim and Courage's legal challenge,
accepting that they had been employees at Gloriavale since the age of
six. The Court found that the trio had been forced to perform
"strenuous, difficult and sometimes dangerous" work
when they were legally required to attend school. This landmark
decision has the potential to encourage other former Gloriavale
residents to pursue legal action against the religious community. In
response to the Employment Court ruling, WorkSafe New Zealand
confirmed that it would send inspectors to investigate conditions at
Gloriavale. In addition, the Charities Commission commenced an
investigation into Gloriavale's trust over allegations of unpaid
child labour, beatings, and the withholding of food. If these
allegations are proven, Glorivale would lose its charitable status,
costing it its donee status and tax benefits.
Following the Employment Court's ruling
in May 2022, Silver Fern Farms announced on 24 May that it would no
longer be supplying offal to Gloriavale's trading company Value
Proteins. In addition, Westland Dairy suspended milk collection from
Gloriavale–operated farms. In addition, meat processing company
Alliance Group confirmed that it was reconsidering its relationship
with Gloriavale in light of reports of labour exploitation. That same
month, WorkSafe inspectors traveled to Gloriavale and issued nine
improvement notices relating to the management of hazardous
substances, machines and traffic at the community's grounds in
Haupiri. By 15 August 2022, Gloriavale had complied with six of the
nine notices, with the remaining three due to be completed by
November 2022. In addition, WorkSafe had issued a total of 19
improvement notices to four Gloriavale businesses since September
2020.
Westland milk collection dispute
In June 2022, the Chinese-owned dairy
company Westland Milk announced that it would cease collecting milk
from three dairy farms owned by Gloriavale. In response, Gloriavale's
subsidiary Canaan Farming Dairy sought a High Court injunction,
prompting Westland to agree to continue collecting Canaan's milk
until the Employment Court made a ruling on a second labour
exploitation case filed by several former Gloriavale women.
On 4 October, High Court Justice
Jan-Marie Doogue ordered Westland Milk to continue collecting milk
from Canaan Farming Dairy's three farms Bell Hill, Gloriavale and
Glen Hopeful on the condition that it did not hire any minors or
associate employees under the age of 18 years. In her ruling, Doogue
ruled there was no evidence that Canaan had breached its obligations
as an employer and that the company was not a party to the Employment
Court case which had sparked the contract move suspension. She also
rejected Westland's claim that it had lost customers as a result of
its business relationship with Canaan Farming. Gloriavale Christian
Community including Canaan Farming Dairy director Samuel Valor
welcomed the High Court's ruling and emphasised the community's
willingness to comply with employment requirements.
Second Employment Court case
In August 2022, Radio New Zealand
reported that six former Glorivale women named Serenity Pilgrim, Anna
Courage, Rose Standtrue, Crystal Loyal, Pearl Valour and Virginia
Courage had filed a second case with the Employment Court to
determine whether they were employees or volunteers at Gloriavale.
The case is set to begin on 29 August and expected to last three
weeks. The Employment Court heard from 49 witnesses, who testified
about various abuses including an alleged institutional culture of
misogyny and victim blaming, sexual harassment of female members, and
being forced to work for long hours with no breaks and little food.
Two witnesses Naomi Pilgrim and Pearl
Valor testified about being denied medical treatment for various
health issues including dental problems, damaged fingers, and
sustaining back injuries from difficult and long working conditions.
In early September, Virginia Courage and Rosanna Overcomer testified
about community leaders shaming and sexually harassing female members
of the community. On 19 September, one former Gloriavale leader Zion
Pilgrim testified that the leadership had threatened to strip him of
his leadership positions for raising concerns about sexual offending.
The following day, Pilgrim testified
that Glorivale had received millions in child welfare benefits from
the New Zealand Government despite requiring children between the age
of 6 and 18 years old to work long, punishing hours. On 21 September,
Crystal testified that she had only been given one week of maternity
leave after giving birth to her eldest child. She also testified that
young mothers were expected to work long hours and were given little
time to spend with their children. Trudy Christian testified about
children being subject to frequent corporal punishment while former
member John Ready testified about his epileptic daughter suffering
third degrees after experiencing a seizure while working in the
kitchen.
On 23 September, the defence opened its
case. Gloriavale Christian School principal Rachel Stedfast disputed
claims that the community's women were forced to work and mistreated
by the elders, likening life there to a Māori marae. She testified
that Gloriavale was a harmonious community where members happily
worked and gave their wages to the community. On 27 September,
defence witness Purity Valor testified that Gloriavale's leaders were
unaware about sexual abuse within their community. She also claimed
that media coverage of Gloriavale had resulted in the community being
"slandered" and members receiving public abuse. On 28
September, the Employment Court heard testimony from Sarah Standtrue
that Gloriavale's leadership had burnt a book that her husband had
written but that he had been readmitted to the community after
apologizing. Standtrue claimed that members of Gloriavale were free
to leave. Standtrue's daughter Compassion testified that Gloriavale
disputed allegations of members being overworked, abuse, and denied
food and care.
On 29 September, Joanna Courage
testified in defence of her grandfather Howard Temple, Gloriavale's
Overseeing Shepherd. She disputed claims that Temple had abused or
behaved inappropriately towards female members of the community.
Courage also disputed the plaintiffs' allegations that they had been
overworked. On 30 September, chartered accountant Gordon Hansen
testified that Gloriavale had received NZ$4.8 million in government
funds in the 2021 financial year including NZ$2.3 million in Working
for Families payments, NZ$2 million in early childcare education
grants, NZ$283,000 in Ministry of Education grants and NZ$229,000 for
midwifery services. Gloriavale's barrister Philip Skelton KC
testified that the majority of Gloriavale's income came from its
farming businesses, which generated NZ$19.5 million that year. The
Employment Court case was adjourned until 2023.
Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust
The Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust
was founded in 2019 to provide practical support to people leaving
the community. They also advocate for the needs and rights of the
people who have left the community, as well as those who remain
within it. In mid–June 2021, the Trust launched an Emergency
Welfare Appeal campaign including a video to help former Gloriavale
residents reintegrate into the outside world.
