Following the TVNZ documentary "Escaping Utopia", NCWNZ membership and member organisations began collaborating on a call for action to ensure the protection and safety of women and children in the religious cult of Gloriavale. The Safety, Health and Wellbeing Action Hub in collaboration with three other Action Hubs (Economic Independence, Education, and International) were supported by the NCWNZ Board in leading this effort. The publishing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report in July (see more on this in another Circular article here) spurred this initiative to contact ministers directly. See the NCWNZ news item posted here on the NCWNZ website.
The three-part documentary which aired in March 2024 was directed by Natalie Malcon and Justin Pemberton, with Philippa Rennie serving as executive producer. It was crafted by Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand in association with the New Zealand Government’s Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund and with the support of NZ on Air. Warner Bros. described the documentary's storyline on IMDb:
The three-part investigative docuseries on New Zealand's most extreme religious cult, Gloriavale, and the true stories of people attempting to break free. Escaping Utopia documents the intricate planning that goes into clandestine escapes from Gloriavale - with unprecedented access to its inner workings, the unravelling of its leadership and the pursuit of justice by the group of passionate and dedicated people known as The Gloriavale Leavers' Trust.
The NCWNZ letter to Hon Karen Chhour addresses the issues of sexual harm and abuse proven late in 2023 from police investigations called "Operation Minneapolis" and "Operation Mathius" (see more on this in the Stuff article here). Addressed to Chhour as Minister for Children and for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, the letter states: "we seek your assurance that urgent and appropriate measures are in place to halt offending and prevent further abuse and harm from occurring." (Download the letter here.)
The documentary was in production when the New Zealand Employment Court ruled that the members of the cult were employees and not volunteer workers. This ruling came as the result of six brave women who sued Gloriavale's "Overseeing Shepherd" Howard Temple for worker's rights and compensation for unpaid labour (see more on this in the 1News article here).
The storyline of this documentary provides a stark contrast with the three documentaries produced in 2015 and 2016 aired on New Zealand’s TV2. These three videos, including "Gloriavale: A Woman's Place" can be found on the Gloriavale website at https://gloriavale.org.nz/videos/.
Probably the most harrowing component of the "Escaping Utopia" series can be found in the final episode. The report of five New Zealand women sent to India for manual and sex labour summarises what has been going on for almost a decade. The sister of one of the women sent to India, Theo Pratt, said she has been lobbying the New Zealand government and human rights organisations for years. See more on this in an RNZ article from The Detail (27 March 2024). The NCWNZ Action Hubs have written also to Ms Kylie Seumanu, Head of Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Program, in the Ministry of Business and Innovation and Employment. In the letter, outlining the specifics about human trafficking from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)'s eighth periodic report, is included a specific request: "NCWNZ seeks your assurance that these cases of alleged trafficking from Gloriavale New Zealand have been or are being investigated, and that mechanisms have been put in place to prevent any further potential cases of trafficking within the Gloriavale community." (Download the letter here.)
The barrister involved in the Gloriavale forced labour dispute, Brian Henry, has filed for proceedings for a new case that targets civil servants who have let these issues go unaccounted for, leaving the women and children in terrible conditions. It is our hope that the NCWNZ can support the work that is needed to halt these offenses and to grant freedom to the women and children caught in this extreme cult.
To read more articles from The Circular (July-August 2024) issue 648, click on the tag below.