16 Oct 2025

Formal warnings issued to members of Glorivale who silenced babies and children by covering their mouths and noses

7:28 pm on 16 October 2025
Gloriavale Christian Community on the West Coast, taken when it was visited by the Employment Court's chief judge on 25 February 2023.

Gloriavale Christian community is small, isolated place in Haupiri, West Coast. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards

Police and Oranga Tamariki have issued formal warnings to two people at the Gloriavale Christian community following an investigation into a practice of silencing babies and children by covering their mouths and noses.

The joint investigation was a result of concerns raised during the Abuse in Care Royal Commission.

Police and Oranga Tamariki held a meeting at Gloriavale last year, where they said the physical, emotional and legal ramifications of the practice were made clear to parents.

Police said education, rather than legal action, was seen as the most effective way to manage the issue.

The Abuse in Care inquiry heard Gloriavale's founder Hopeful Christian taught parents to cover their children's mouths and noses to stop them crying, "until the child was struggling to breathe whenever they cried", because he hated the sound.

Several survivors said they had seen children turn blue.

Oranga Tamariki national commissioner south Arihia Bennett said agencies launched a "mass allegation investigation" following the release of the inquiry's report.

She said the agency was working to support the safety and well-being of children and young people at Gloriavale but would not reveal further details about the investigation.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour said the child silencing allegations detailed in the Abuse in Care report were "very disturbing and quite hard to read".

Karen Chhour

Children's Minister Karen Chhour said the child silencing allegations were "very disturbing". (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

She said Oranga Tamariki had been given extra staff and support to work with Gloriavale members and their families, though she could not provide detail on what that looked like.

"I've made it very clear that I want to make sure that we've got good oversight and we're putting tools and resources in front of these families to make sure that their kids are safe and they know that they can reach out for help if needed," she said.

"There are more staff on the ground making sure that we have more regular oversight of Gloriavale but also more regular support going in there to make sure that those young people are safe."

Barrister Brian Henry, who represented several Gloriavale leavers, said he had long known about the technique used to silence children in the community and it was part of the reason a group of former members had filed a lawsuit, claiming they were held as slaves from birth by the Christian community's leaders.

"This was a technique to actually break the free will of children when they're just weeks old and it's violent, it's brutal, and I believe it really scars young children and young brains, and that's what they wanted. They wanted power and control, and this was a technique to create huge fear of disagreeing with the leadership."

Brian Henry

Barrister Brian Henry, did not have faith the practice would stop at Gloriavale. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit was filed last year against Gloriavale and five government agencies by Anna Courage, Pearl Valor, Gideon Benjamin and Hosea Courage, who were each seeking damages of $2.5m.

Henry said he had heard stories of children suffering bruises after struggling to breathe and he did not believe people being let off with warnings was appropriate.

"To turn around and say, 'oh, we're just going to tell two people off', that is ridiculous. That is a serious, serious assault that's being carried out on a baby.

"It's a serious crime and it's happening to the most vulnerable of children and nobody's doing anything about it."

He did not have faith the practice would no longer be used in the community and said the only reason things were changing, was because successful litigation was shining a light on the community.

"The officials are reacting to what we're doing, not reacting to the conduct in there, which is horrific, that's my view."

The practice of silencing babies and children was also exposed at the inquest into the 2018 death of Gloriavale member Sincere Standtrue, who died as result of a tragic accident after experimenting with "blacking out".

Coroner Alexandra Cunningham heard evidence about Gloriavale parents blacking out fussing babies to quieten them during a Sunday service or meeting - a practice they were told was harmless.

"This evidence about managing babies' behaviour is relevant to the issues for this inquiry. It supports a finding that Sincere was aware of a practice of "blacking out" by breath suppression which was considered to be harmless, at least by some in the community," she said.

Gloriavale has been contacted for comment.

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