The head of Gloriavale has confirmed police are investigating forced labour, slavery and servitude at the West Coast commune.
Overseeing shepherd Howard Temple said while he's aware of the case, he knows very little about it.
"The police work under apparently a confidentiality clause and they don't disclose a lot of what they're doing and where they are and who they're talking to, to me," said Temple.
Gloriavale has been at the centre of accusations of sexual and physical abuse for decades.
The investigation is into forced labour and slavery, Ryan Boswell reports. (Source: 1News)
The Employment Court heard that when conflicts used to arise between "the laws of God and the laws of the state", Gloriavale members were told they "must follow the laws of God".
Temple said new processes were introduced to ensure every allegation was reported, which a big shift away from the belief that "you will not take your brother to law".
He said talking with government agencies is not something that would have been done "so readily" in the old days but "we freely do that now".
In 2020, police and Oranga Tamariki launched a joint investigation into sexual and physical abuse at Gloriavale, which found at least 60 people were involved in "harmful sexual behaviour".
Temple said the findings were a "big shock" and made the leadership realise their own methods were "totally inadequate".
Victims used to be asked to forgive their perpetrators, which Temple agreed was not an adequate response to the trauma they had experienced.
He said women and children felt stifled and unable to speak out because of the policy, but the Government agencies are now providing counselling and support for people who have experienced sexual violence or other trauma.
The hearing into whether six former residents were employees or volunteers is continuing.
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