Gloriavale: Police hotline receives calls

Children dressed in Cooperite clothing walk at Gloriavale, home of the Cooperite religious sect. Photo supplied / TVNZ

A number of calls have been made to the police hotline number set up for former and current Gloriavale members.

It comes after police appealed for people to come forward with information, following a number of reports in the media from former members telling their stories of life inside the secretive Christian community, some of which alleged sexual and child abuse.

The hotline number was set up six days ago, and since then a "number of calls" have been received, police said.

No information about the nature of the calls or the conversations conducted with police, or any action arising from the calls would be released, police.

"I want to assure anyone who has information that would be relevant to this investigation that their identity will not be made public by police," Tasman District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus said.

"It is important to me that these people have the opportunity to have their voice heard without fear of unintended consequences.

"I recognise that it may be difficult for people who have left the community to come forward to police to discuss their experiences and we are exploring a range of avenues for making contact. We are also working closely with other agencies and support networks to inform ex-members of the police role and the purpose of our investigation."

Officers were still keen to speak to anyone who wished to discuss their experiences inside the isolated West Coast commune, Ms Malthus said, and encouraged calls from supporters and friends of those reluctant to make direct contact.

"We still encourage people to make contact via our phone line on 0800 400 800 and from there we can make appropriate arrangements to speak with individuals in a suitable environment," she said.