I love my life at Gloriavale: Leavers’ claims are nonsense, exaggerated, offensive says life member

The Gloriavale Christian community at Haupiri, near Greymouth. Photo / Kurt Bayer

A Gloriavale mother of seven has slammed evidence given by women who left the community, saying their accounts of working conditions and their lives are incorrect, highly exaggerated, unrealistic and offensive.

And she says the “misleading” information about Gloriavale is hugely impacting the current community who just want to live their chosen lifestyle in peace.

Priscilla Stedfast, 35, is giving evidence today in the Employment Court at Christchurch before Chief Judge Christina Inglis.

“I choose to live at Gloriavale because I want to,” said Stedfast, the granddaughter of founder and convicted sex offender Neville Cooper aka Hopeful Christian.

“I appreciate having many people who are my family and friends - there are some really incredible people at Gloriavale; really loving, caring, gentle and strong people.

“These are people I want my children to grow up amongst.

“Gloriavale is not for everyone… I believe we are being discriminated against for our beliefs because we are so different.”

Gloriavale community membe gather at the Christchurch Employment Court. Photo / George Heard

Last year leavers Rose Standtrue, Pearl Valor, Serenity Pilgrim, Anna Courage, Crystal Loyal and Virginia Courage testified that they were effectively born into and kept in “servitude” - which is illegal in New Zealand - forced to work long days with no breaks and very little food or water.

The women and their supporters all gave evidence in the Employment Court - where they are seeking a ruling that they were employees and not volunteers at Gloriavale.

Their case follows a similar action by a group of former Gloriavale men who the court ruled were employees from when they were just 6 years old, regularly undertaking “strenuous, difficult, and sometimes dangerous” work when they were still legally required to be at school.

The trial began last year and continues over the next two months in Christchurch and Greymouth - where Chief Judge Inglis will participate in a site visit to the remote community.

Gloriavale have about 25 witnesses to call, most of them current members.

At the start of the trial the community was represented by a team of lawyers headed by a Philip Skelton KC.

However in December, the leaders confirmed they would self-represent for the remainder of the court process.

In a statement they said they " simply could not sustain the cost of a legal team”.

“The prolonged and ongoing nature of this litigation, which is now scheduled to take twice as long as originally contemplated, has simply made it impossible for us to continue to use the community’s limited financial resources for legal representation.”

Senior Gloriavale member Samuel Valor and the four shepherds Howard Temple, Stephen Standfast, Noah Hopeful and Faithful Pilgrim are now running their own case.

This morning Valor called Stedfast as his first witness.

The Gloriavale Christian Community on the West Coast. Photo / George Heard

She was critical of the former members’ evidence, spending hours refuting their claims.

She rejected many of the accusations the women made about life at Gloriavale, and painted a very different picture of life in the community.

“I am not an employee and I am never intended to be,” she said.

“As a woman, I feel loved and cared for and respected - every day.

“My husband does not drool over me like a slug… he really cares for me.. I can talk to him about anything... This makes me feel special and secure as a woman.”

Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis. Photo / George Heard

Stedfast said people were free to leave Gloriavale and not castigated or cut off, as the leavers suggested.

She said Gloriavale supported anyone who wanted to leave, providing funds and transport and not “restricting” contact between any members and leavers.

Further, women were not forced to marry and the work conditions described by the leavers - some of who are her relatives - were “very exaggerated”.

Stedfast said it “was not all work, work, work with a whip over us”.

“There was a lot of work, but it was fun - it was time spent with friends talking, laughing and looking after our family,” she said.

“I have always loved working… this never came from the leaders, it came from my father… and I never felt like the leaders were making me work. If it came from anyone, it came from my parents.

“No one wants anyone to be unhappy or not feeling great.”

Stedfast said she felt “very sad” that the leavers had “a bad experience” but their “complete portrayal” of their time at Gloriavale was “misleading” and “nonsense”.

“The concept that Gloriavale is running some kind of child labour force is ridiculous, she said.

“It’s not reality… a very unfair impression… everyone is supported and cared for.

“Much of what they say is simply not factual or true… I feel the public have heard one side of the story for too long.”

She said the women and their supporters had been part of a campaign of “demonising and criticising” Gloriavale which meant now no one believed what members had to say.

The court has previously heard evidence women and girls felt trapped at Gloriavale, including Pearl Valor, giving testimony in August. Photo / George Heard

As a result, the public treated members poorly - insulting and abusing them, shouting at them and boycotting their businesses.

“It’s a never-ending onslaught of attention throughout the legal system and the media - we are pleading to be left alone,” she said.

“This is affecting people’s lives… we are really feeling the pressure that is pushing in around us.

“It is our right to live as we choose… I am highly offended by the words of the plaintiffs.

“Gloriavale is simply a group of people who live and share together - everything there belongs to the people… I love the life that I have chosen.”

Stedfast said none of the women at Gloriavale were “brainwashed” nor were they controlled.

“The leaders have no power over me, they are not controlling the community and micromanaging our daily lives as suggested,” she said.

“The spiritual community at the authority is the bible - the authority we follow is the word of God.

“I have always loved to do extra to help the people around me… women are certainly not only valued for working hard and producing babies.

“It seems like nonsense to me.”

Stedfast acknowledged there had been proven cases of abuse - sexual and physical - against members in the past.

But she assured change was happening and would continue.

“I know in the past some things happened - terrible things and they could have been handled better, but things have been changing rapidly,” she claimed.

“Culture is something that can be changed… and the leaders are committed to change and they are not done yet.”

An emotional Rose Standtrue giving evidence of her life of "fear" at Gloriavale. Photo / NZH

She said the leavers had “set out to destroy our lives” and was sad and angry about that.

“I am not ignorant of the world outside, I have seen enough to know it’s not for me,” she said.

“The choices I make are grounded on my religious beliefs - you cannot choose where you are born but you can choose if it’s where you want to stay and this is my choice.”

Stedfast wanted to make it “very clear” that she and others had no issue with the way Gloriavale worked - as a community where everything was shared and everyone had responsibilities to keep it running.

“I feel that because I live at Gloriavale people do not listen to what I say, people say that I am brainwashed and do not want to understand that I am happy with the life I live,” she said.

“I wish to live at Gloriavale to give and share my life… time with my family and friends who live there out of love; to not be paid a wage and to exercise my basic human right to live as I choose.”