Gloriavale’s leaders make it difficult for families to keep in contact with loved ones who have left, according to a former resident.
Crystal Loyal left Gloriavale with her husband and children in 2017.
She told the Employment Court that while her parents still live at the West Coast commune, she feels cut off from them.
Loyal said while she had been back to visit family that “doesn’t mean I always get to see them”.
“I bet no one went up to them and said, 'Oh, do you need to ring your daughter to make sure she’s OK?'" she said.
“The leaders make it difficult to leave. They cut you off from your family who are left behind."
Gloriavale lawyer Phillip Skelton then pointed to a recent decision by Gloriavale’s servants and shepherds to relax the rules, to which Loyal responded, “My mum, she wasn’t to ring me”.
The court heard the family had initially planned to go for a two-week trial, but did not want to return after the first week.
“I get to spend time with the kids and don’t have to work so hard. This was amazing, very different to what we had always been told.”
READ MORE: Brutal work conditions inside Gloriavale laid bare in court
It took six weeks before Loyal and her husband “started to feel free”, after which they set up a bonfire and burnt their Gloriavale clothing.
When her husband went on annual leave for the first time, Loyal said it was a luxury they’d never experienced before.
“That is just normal and expected to other people in the outside world. It blew my mind you could have a holiday and be paid still.”
The court is considering whether six women who worked at Gloriavale are employees or volunteers. The hearing continues.
SHARE ME