The Gloriavale Christian community has sought leave to appeal an Employment Court ruling that six women were employees, not volunteers.
The former Gloriavale women took the West Coast community's leaders to court, saying they were exploited and treated like slaves while working in domestic teams.
The court's Chief Judge Christina Inglis ruled in their favour last month, saying they had been primed for the work that was unrelenting, hard and under punishing conditions.
This week, Gloriavale's leaders applied for leave to appeal that decision, saying the judgement would have implications for communal groups beyond just Gloriavale.
Howard Temple, Samuel Valor, Faithful Pilgrim, Noah Hopeful and Stephen Steadfast were all named in the application.
"In the Community no wages are paid for work and no prices are charged for food, clothing and other necessities which are given according to need, not as a reward for work," the application said.
They argued that by suggesting the former members' experience was broadly typical of women working in the community, the judgment would likely impact the rights and interests of many other members.
Judge Inglis noted in her judgement that the female workforce in the kitchen produced more than 11,000 meals, while laundry workers washed at least 17,000 items during a typical week in 2018.
The leader's application said the Labour Inspectorate investigated the Gloriavale community twice and concluded members were not employees.
During the hearing, the Employment Court was told the Labour Inspectorate would reopen an investigation into Gloriavale and consider enforcement action if the women were found to have been employees.
That was confirmed in their application, which sought to reverse the decision and declaration that the women were employees.
In a supporting affidavit, leader Noah Hopeful said if their community had to start treating members as employees, it might make their communal way of life untenable in the future.
The Labour Inspectorate had already contacted them to find out how they intended to set up employment arrangements with their members, he said.
Hopeful said the leaders considered employment relationships contrary to their Christian principles that created a difference in status and reward.
"The payment of wages is a temptation to live the life of self."
RNZ
