Cult leavers suffering from “outrageous” emotional, physical or sexual abuse are seeking solace at newly formed peer support groups in Auckland and Christchurch.
Those running such meetings say event locations are generally kept secret and participants are vetted to ensure they’re not attending to try and convince defectors to rejoin the groups they left.
“It’s to make sure we don’t get infiltrators and to maintain the emotional safety of the group,” the organiser of Uncult Ōtautahi Jaya Gibson told the Herald.
Gibson, a former Falun Gong member, said people who have left groups including the Two By Twos, other religious groups and various Korean religious movements like the Moonies and Shincheonji gather fortnightly to discuss their experiences.
There are currently two groups – including Gibson’s – operating in Christchurch and Auckland, with additional services planned in Ōamaru and Greymouth.
Gibson said most of those who join his free sessions, which include trained counsellors, are women.
“Sexual abuse is really common. Almost all women describe some kind of abuse – whether that be physical, sexual, emotional or spiritual. The majority of the survivors in our group are women. The men find it harder to come forward.”
Gibson said one of the hallmarks of dangerous control groups is the lack of support those seeking help get from inside the organisation they’re part of.
“For example, when the perpetrator abuses a partner or child, and then the victim complains, and the leaders say ‘that’s your fault’,” he said.
Gibson was reluctant to divulge individual experiences but said there were examples of shocking behaviour from people who see themselves as spiritual leaders.
“Stories of women being locked in a closet because they’re being a pain to their husband. The abuse is really hard to imagine,” he said.
Psychotherapist Beth St Claire, also formerly part of a cult, said there are “a lot” of organisations that exert power and control over their followers, and cult-like dynamics are not solely linked to large religious movements.
She gave the example of business ventures like Nxivm – a self-described self-help company whose US-based founder Keith Raniere was jailed for sex offending and racketeering.
Within Nxivm, a secretive society known as “DOS” was formed, where female “slaves” were put on restrictive diets and branded with Raniere’s initials as part of an initiation ceremony.
St Claire, who facilitates another free cult support group in Auckland, said in other instances, cults can be small, and she’s encountered situations where people are technically “held prisoner”.
“It can be a family cult where there’s just a few people in that group, but where a person or philosophy is controlling people,” she said.
St Claire said some of those she’s helped are from large international cult movements that have set up shop in New Zealand.
She believes Kiwi culture is part of the reason many don’t seek help after leaving high-control groups.
“I think we have a Kiwi culture that’s quite accepting of difference and so people don’t tend to make a fuss ... and are less likely to report something,” she said.
Greater awareness of the dangers of groups like Gloriavale through media reporting had encouraged more to seek help, she said.
Both St Claire and Gibson credit Decult – the country’s first cult awareness conference held in Christchurch in 2024 – with bringing survivors together and empowering them to share their stories.
Decult director Anke Richter estimated that more than 50,000 New Zealanders have been or are still part of cults.
Richter said people who leave such groups often find themselves mocked or shamed by other members.
“Many suffer in isolation. It can take a lifetime to heal from this,” she said.
She said dedicated in-person support groups haven’t been available in New Zealand before, and there was now a “groundswell” of survivors wanting help.
“Getting together with others who’re walking the same path and aren’t judging you can be the first step to healing – and it’s immensely empowering.”
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.