A former resident of Gloriavale has given a damning assessment of life in the secretive community, recalling the "creepy" and aggressive behaviour of the leaders and fearing for his daughter's safety.
Isaac Pilgrim was giving evidence at the Employment Court in Christchurch, where the judge was told of women being forced to work and being expected to have children as a way to claim money from the government.
Pilgrim's story is one of being controlled and living in fear.
He was perpetually worried about his daughter, saying leaders would interact with girls in the kitchen and laundry under the guise that they were "spiritually guiding them".
"It was a bit creepy to me, very creepy," Pilgrim said.
"The leadership are allowed to touch the girls, anyone they want. By anyone, I mean particularly the single girls. They would talk to them, giving them cuddles."
But questioning the leaders would result in punishment.
The current residents who've come to court to observe proceedings appear happy and untroubled, and so do the male leaders who are chaperoning them back and forth. But inside the court, leaders were portrayed as aggressive, domineering, and frightening.
To disobey them, according to Pilgrim, would result in a prolonged verbal telling-off.
"Anyone who was saying anything in disagreement with the leaders was just totally destroyed."
He told the court some meetings with leaders ended with him in tears, and believed it was all about "breaking you". He said residents lived in fear as they were told you'd "go to hell" if you disobeyed the leaders.
He also became increasingly worried about his wife. When giving birth to their second child, she lost a lot of blood while in hospital. He used $60 on the Gloriavale Eftpos card to buy her some special food but was told off when he returned.
"I felt that money mattered more than the life of my wife. I felt like all they cared about was my wife pumping out more and more kids so they could collect more and more money from the government."
His daughter, Serenity Pilgrim, was told to cook carrots for the 600 residents as a 14-year-old, but one night she made a mistake.
"I was made to stand up at the dinner table that evening and publicly apologise in front of 600 people for overcooking the carrots at 14," she said.
"Absolutely public humiliation, a form of control."
This was verified by former resident Pearl Valor, who witnessed another girl publicly apologise to residents.
"She was just sobbing, sobbing, sobbing," Valor said.
Valor spoke of being forced to work, saying she didn't like working at the childcare centre but was ordered to by leader Howard Temple.
"I remember Howard Temple coming in and blowing me up because I didn't want to work in the centre, and I had to work in the centre as punishment until I liked it."
However, part way through the testimony, Valor had to stop and complain to Chief Judge Christina Inglis. She told the judge people in the public gallery had been repeating what she was saying and laughing.
The judge reprimanded those in the public gallery, which is mainly filled with current Glorivale residents who are at court to observe.
"We can't have anybody talking while you're giving evidence. So that's just a reminder to everybody in my court - no taking while we're in session," Judge Inglis said.
Despite the interjections, the themes of the case have become clear. It's about leadership control and forced work, and deciding whether that work was done by women at Gloriavale who were employees or volunteers.
