Interns who left Arise Church were given settlements, with one allegedly close to six figures, on the condition they did not speak ill of the congregation.
More former members have come forward alleging attempts by the Church to keep them quiet with payoutsand non disclosure agreements.
Arise Church founder John Cameron has been described as New Zealand's greatest manipulator by one former member who received tens of thousands in a pay out.
"They have done very well to stay out of the media to this point."
He says part of his settlement included a clause to not speak negatively about Arise.
Ben alleges the lead pastors, brothers Brent and John Cameron, were bullies, with their behaviour ranging from juvenile to violent.
This came in the form of farting in their hands and putting it in the faces of interns, 'sack tapping,' and 'charlie horsing', which the church leaders thought was all done in good fun.
"The other side was John completely losing his s***."
Ben claims it did not take much to set John off.
"He had righteous anger, he would be ripping into 15-year-old girls over the wrong lighting and grabbing young men by the collar. They are small, insecure, monsters."
The demands on the interns went well beyond the church's walls.
"You were expected to help pastors in their gardens, or move house on your days off."
Ben says many of the interns helped renovate pastors' houses.
During conferences or Sundays, they could be expected to work 20-hour days.
Ben says John's extravagant spending went on high-end clothing and restaurants, electronics and business class flights as well as very expensive gifts for other pastors.
He says he has been encouraging other former members to speak out.
The parent of another intern believes the mental scars Arise left on his child run deep.
Raymond's son Peter is still unable to talk about the damage the church has caused.
Peter was encouraged by Arise leadership, directly led by Brent Cameron, into leaving university with just one year left on his degree, to pursue the internship.
Despite Raymond's protests, Peter was determined to follow the path Cameron had convinced him was his calling.
However, just a few years later Peter was broke, homeless, and physically sick from exhaustion.
"Over two years my son was working 55-60 hours a week and that did not include hours on a Sunday at the church. That 10 hours is additional."
Raymond eventually cut off his financial aid in a desperate attempt to get his son away from Arise and bring him home.
"He was sleeping on a couch, he lost a third of his weight, it was killing me but I had to break him away from this cult. My wife and I were convinced he was going to die if it continued any longer."
Peter raised his health concerns with Arise but Raymond says they were not interested.
"They just wanted more and more and more, it just never stopped and when you asked for support they gave absolutely nothing."
"The Arise board acknowledges the hurt and the pain that continues to be expressed. We want to strongly encourage anyone who has a complaint or negative experience to engage with the independent reviewer. It is important we hear and understand these stories in order to help bring relief and healing to those who are in pain, and put into place any corrective action that may be needed."
The Arise website 'giving' section says it exists to transform cities with the truth and love of Jesus Christ.
"Your giving empowers our ongoing operations as a church and our work to reach new cities and communities. Thank you for your generosity - together we are making an impact on eternity."
Both John and Brent Cameron did not respond to requests by RNZ for an interview.
*Some names have been changed to protect identities.
