Visiting Gloriavale by A Watchful Observer* In 2016, TVNZ 2 released a three-part documentary series which showcased life in New Zealand’s largest isolated Christian community – Gloriavale – for the first time. The show enthralled viewers who had previously only been able to hear whispers about what the fundamentalist Christian community was truly like. Gloriavale: A World Apart and the following sequels introduced the public to real-life members of Gloriavale, who live their lives completely isolated from the rest of New Zealand society and are completely devoted to Christ. In 2017, some plucky first-year university students took it upon themselves to visit the community to see if life in Gloriavale really is as it appears on the screen. They may have also been motivated by the idea of joining a community where members don’t have access to personal finances in a desperate bid to wipe their student loan. One of these students, N*, explained that shortly after moving into the halls of residence in the South Island, she and some of her newfound fresher friends got talking about Gloriavale – as we all do after a couple of drinks. “Some of us got talking about whether we’d stumbled across the TV show and what we all thought about it,” N said. “It was after realising that two of our friends had no idea what we were talking about that we thought, what better way to introduce them to Gloriavale than by going for a visit?”
However, the process for visiting Gloriavale is not something that a group of teenagers can undergo while still on the piss; getting the all-clear to visit Gloriavale’s 20 km2 rural settlement is a rigorous process. “It wasn’t really something you could just sign up for on a whim,” N explained. “We had to request a visit, over email, months in advance and explain what our motivations were for going. When we were offered tickets to see their biennial concert, accepting them was conditional on some strict privacy conditions – mainly that we wouldn’t talk to the media,” N informed me with a dry laugh, “Please publish me under a pseudonym, I don’t want them to kill me.” So, the gaggle of youth hid away their fresher’s town outfits, donned their most holy of attire and headed to Greymouth – and Gloriavale didn’t disappoint. “The people at Gloriavale put on a concert and a full three-course meal,” N shared. When asked if the group of broke students had only gone to Gloriavale for a free feed, N declined to comment. She added, “The concert far surpassed my expectations – with amazing costumes, talent and special effects.” “After the concert, our group was invited on a tour. I would like to think this was down to luck, but I’m inclined to believe it was because of our promising, fertile demographic.”
* names changed 31
