The Herald can reveal police and Oranga Tamariki have carried out a “mass allegation investigation” at Gloriavale into the practice of silencing crying children and babies by covering their mouths and noses.
Police and Oranga Tamariki have been quietly conducting a major investigation into Gloriavale. The reason for the authorities’ intervention – previously undisclosed – has now come to light through ministerial briefings obtained by the Herald. Senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah has the story.
Police have issued two formal warnings to members of Gloriavale after a “mass allegation investigation” into the practice of silencing crying children and babies by covering their mouths and noses, the Herald can reveal.
The practice has been likened by barrister Brian Henry to “suffocating kids” under the guise of discipline.
Briefings to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act show police and Oranga Tamariki (OT) started the investigation, which involved more than 100 interviews, in November last year after the release of the Royal Commission’s Abuse in Care report.
As part of the commission’s investigation, it heard evidence from a lawyer representing former Gloriavale residents who said the sect’s founder Hopeful Christian “hated the sound of children crying” so taught parents to cover a child’s mouth and nose when they cried.
“Several survivors said they had seen children turn blue in these instances,” the commission’s final report said.
The testimony is backed up by former Gloriavale resident Virginia Courage, who told the Herald she had to resuscitate a baby who turned blue and was unresponsive after the infant’s parents used the hand-over-mouth technique.
Courage said during a married couples meeting at Gloriavale she and other parents were taught the practice by leaders as part of a method to discipline children, so the youngsters would learn not to “make a fuss”.
“I saw kids turn blue as a child. I saw them go limp in the arms of the person who was disciplining them,” she told the Herald.
A Gloriavale spokesman confirmed police and OT visited the community to discuss child safety.
“Police and OT held a meeting here in 2024 to ensure that parents and leaders very clearly understood the emotional and physical dangers of restricting the airway in young people,” he said.
The spokesman said members of Gloriavale “uphold national expectations” for child safety and education programmes have been “progressively embedded” into community life since 2016.
The joint police and OT investigation, described in Government briefings as a “mass allegation investigation”, has now concluded with police telling the Herald two formal warnings were handed out, and police and OT have also been talking to adults about “suggested parenting techniques” for dealing with a range of childhood behaviours and scenarios.
“Between the two agencies, education and advice were provided to members of the community and police also issued two formal warnings,” a police spokeswoman told the Herald.
“The warnings were both in relation to the practice of parents putting hands over children’s mouths.”
Police said the physical, emotional and legal ramifications of blocking a child’s airways were “made clear” during an educational meeting between parents, police and OT.
This is suffocation of a baby
Barrister Brian Henry, who spearheaded two successful court cases against Gloriavale, was scathing of the response from authorities.
“This is suffocation of a baby. It’s incredibly violent. It’s a serious, serious crime,” he told the Herald.
He didn’t think issuing warnings and offering parents education would lead to change.
“They will keep doing this because it’s ingrained and it is how they break self-will,” he said.
Courage agreed, telling the Herald the community follows the views and advice of leaders – not outsiders.
“It would be lovely to think that this could lead to change, but I think if we look back, there’s no Government directive that has stopped the coercion, stopped the control, stopped the dominance,” she said.
“The bigger issue is they [leaders] decide what they’re doing, and the people live under fear.”
Courage, who left Gloriavale with her family in 2019, recalls being brought a lifeless baby by its father during her time in the commune.
“I was brought a limp infant from a father, and his child wasn’t breathing. I had to resuscitate that infant,” she told the Herald.
Courage said the incident happened between 2006 and 2008 and while she managed to revive the baby, she didn’t raise any concerns with the child’s father given the strict male-dominated structure at Gloriavale.
“I was horrified, but of course, I just like went straight into ‘get this kid breathing mode’. You don’t have power as a woman so it wasn’t like I could actually make a massive fuss,” she said.
She said the hand-over-mouth technique was standard practice at Gloriavale – approved by founder Hopeful Christian.
“I saw it happen to other children, I saw it happen to my siblings. The expectation is that your children will be quiet and they won’t fuss,” she said.
I saw kids turn blue
She said having quiet, well-behaved children would ensure adults were regarded as good parents, and at no stage were parents told that restricting the airways of children or babies could be dangerous.
To the contrary, she said she was taught methods to “break a child’s will” during a married couples’ meeting in 2014.
The issue of the dangers of restricting breathing was brought up by parents during the meeting, but Courage said Hopeful Christian reassured parents there was “nothing wrong” with doing it.
She said Christian’s views were supported by another leader at the meeting who was considered the medical authority at Gloriavale – even though he had no medical qualifications.
“This man stood up and said even if the child goes limp, when they relax, they will start breathing again so there’s no concern,” she said.
“When I heard that said publicly in that meeting, I was absolutely horrified.”
She said she spoke to her husband and the pair agreed they wouldn’t practise the technique on their children despite seeing other parents do it.
“I said to him, that kid’s fighting for its breath. It’s disgusting, it’s terrifying,” she said.
As part of the investigation, more than 100 interviews were conducted with current Gloriavale parents and children, as well as with some who had left the community, according to an update provided to Chhour on January 31 this year and obtained by the Herald.
Another update to Chhour on June 27, also obtained by the Herald, said 32 OT staff from around the country went to Gloriavale to assist with the interviews, which were followed by three workshops where staff were debriefed and their concerns were discussed.
Then, on August 11, a ministerial briefing to Chhour gave an insight into the scale of the investigation, saying that OT had received 81 reports of concern about Gloriavale in the 11 months between October 2024 and August this year.
“Of these, 60 [reports of concern] are as a result of a mass allegation investigation,” the briefing said.
Chhour would not comment on the details of the mass allegation investigation, but said the evidence compiled by the commission regarding methods to silence crying children was “disturbing”.
“I am not going to go into specifics on investigations and outcomes of investigations because there could be future legal action,” she told the Herald.
She said OT continues to have a “very strong” presence in Gloriavale and she had made sure the team in Greymouth had been given extra resources to do their job.
“[Staff are] helping parents understand what their obligations are and also making sure that young people are safe. Am I concerned that they’re teaching these [good parenting] techniques to parents? No, I am not. I am actually relieved,” she said.
We’re in there making sure young people are safe
She said she’s confident OT staff are doing everything they possibly can to ensure children are safe at Gloriavale.
“Is it going to fix the whole world’s problems? No, but it’s a start and it’s more than what’s ever been done within Gloriavale,” she said.
Asked whether she thought Gloriavale needed to be closed down, Chhour said: “I won’t make any personal comments about what I think about Gloriavale”.
She emphasised that if young people were harmed there, she would expect police and OT to remove the child from the community.
“I’m not going to sit back and not make sure those young people are safe.”
Henry, who represented nine former Gloriavale residents in two landmark Employment Court cases, was scathing of Chhour’s reassurances that oversight by officials will ensure child safety at Gloriavale.
“She’s not listening. You [the Herald] turn up with a camera and [she says] ‘I’m really concerned’. Really? Then why is Gloriavale still open?”
He believed Chhour was allowing young people to be harmed by the fact that Gloriavale, which he described as a cult built on fear and control, was still a functioning community.
He said Chhour’s reassurances that children wouldn’t be harmed on her watch amounted to “absolute bureaucratic bulls***”.
“This has been going on for 50 years and our Government, successive Governments, have done nothing about it,” he said.
“You [minister] have to protect these kids. Sitting in Wellington saying I won’t let a child be harmed on my watch, and you know Gloriavale’s there. Excuse me, come and talk to some leavers.”
Henry was blunt about the stories of former residents seeing infants turning blue after parental discipline techniques.
“These kids are being suffocated. For heaven’s sake, you can’t sit back and say, ‘oh, we’re sure they’ll be safe now’.”
Henry doubted formal warnings and education offered by authorities would stop dangerous parenting.
“They won’t change. Their fundamental beliefs of power and control over their flock, as they call them, will not change,” he said.
Courage told the Herald the only change that’s occurred at Gloriavale has been as a result of significant external pressures, such as the court cases taken by Henry and ex-members speaking up.
She said it wasn’t Gloriavale’s leaders who were first to disclose concerns to investigators about the mouth-clamping techniques.
“I think this pattern is just reinforcing that Gloriavale can’t change, and in particular to this terrible method of child discipline. Did the Gloriavale leaders or any of the current members bring this practice up? Or was it again exposed from an ex-member speaking up?”
A Gloriavale spokesman told the Herald it has implemented a range of child protection programmes within the community.
“Education programmes on safe parenting and child safety awareness sourced from or held by the Ministry of Education and NZ Police since 2016 have been progressively embedded into the community life,” he told the Herald.
He said leaders, adults, early childhood education staff and school staff also undertake safeguarding training, which has been ongoing since the child protection policy was introduced in 2022.
When police and OT staff came to the commune, he said there was a “high rate” of engagement by parents.
The Herald asked if every parent at Gloriavale engaged with authorities.
The spokesman said he didn’t know but it was possible some parents were unavailable during the investigation.
He indicated the large number of reports of concern received by OT may have been because of parents self-reporting the issues.
“Each interview [with OT and police staff] generated a report of concern to be considered by OT,” he said.
OT has told the Herald the 81 reports of concern generated from Gloriavale in the space of 11 months have now been resolved.
The Gloriavale spokesman acknowledged the formal warnings from police.
“Of the two formal warnings that were issued, one was the result of a parent self-reporting and the other allegation was denied. Neither allegation involved a member while in a professional role. Neither allegation led to further action,” he said.
The Herald asked if anyone was still practising the hand-over-mouth technique as a way to silence or discipline crying children.
“To my knowledge, no parents are practising this,” he said.
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 New Zealand Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.