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Newshub arrived in Gloriavale on Monday seeking answers from leaders, but got no response from one of the administrative buildings. That was until one of Gloriavale’s shepherds, Enoch Upright, was spotted.
When approached about the allegations made against Gloriavale leaders, Upright ordered Newshub to book the office “for health and safety reasons.”
Current Gloriavale members told Newshub last week that “every aspect” of their life, including their job and the hours they worked, were controlled by the leaders.
The current members also said they are threatened with being separated from their families if they disobey the leaders. One said he occasionally worked 20 to 23 hour shifts, with little sleep before the next.
“You’re very rude to come in like this,” Upright told Newshub.
When asked if he thought workers were being exploited or if he agreed that people had been asking for more freedom from leadership, he did not respond.
Instead, Upright walked in where a quick meeting took place with the curtains drawn.
“We are asking you to leave the property,” Upright told Newshub after the meeting ended.
Newshub has contacted Gloriavale leaders six times in the past week requesting an interview.
Inspectors from WorkSafe were also present in Gloriavale on Monday, and Little said he asked the Labor Inspectorate, which investigates worker exploitation, to get involved.
“I’ve seen the reports and it looks like exploitation,” he said.
Last week, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the agency that oversees the Inspection, said it had decided in 2017 that it could not intervene because Gloriavale workers are volunteers, not employees.
Little said he’s not so sure.
“We cannot allow religious doctrine to be a defense for people who appear to be being exploited and who appear to not have the labor standards that all other New Zealand workers apply to them. That is wrong.”
Police also visited Gloriavale there to verify the well-being of one of the men who spoke to Newshub about the allegations. He was reportedly harassed in front of 70 other people and told to repent after blowing the whistle.
“We cannot comment,” police said. “We have been told that we cannot comment.”
