Latest news with #Gloriavale
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
King's Birthday Honours: Veteran police officer Terri Middleton honoured for work with victims
Senior Constable Terri Middleton. Photo: Police / Supplied A police officer made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in Monday's King's Birthday Honours says she is humbled and deeply honoured to be recognised. Greymouth's Senior Constable Terri Middleton is a school community officer. Over more than three decades, police in a statement said she had worked with victims of child abuse and family harm, in drug education, helping youngsters in and out of school, with the Blue Light charity and inside the Gloriavale community. She joined the police in 1991, and spent most of the first decade of her career as an interviewer and investigating child abuse. In 2002 she became the West Coast school community officer, and was "instrumental in delivering education and prevention initiatives into all West Coast schools, as well as volunteering thousands of hours to local organisations, sporting clubs and charity events". "It is a privilege to be involved in so many people's life experiences," she said. "I am passionate about helping people and trying to make a difference and for this to happen you need to be well supported by others." Senior Constable Terri Middleton. Photo: Police / Supplied Middleton thanked the police leadership team and colleagues, as well as her family. "I very much want to thank them as I know it isn't easy for any family to have a police officer in the mix - there are definitely some challenges. I very much appreciate their love and support as I couldn't do my job without them." Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said it was "impossible to count the lives Middleton has changed for the better, or quantify the harm prevented by her engagement with some of the most vulnerable people in our society". "I'm proud of the great work our people do every day to support their communities and, as a former Tasman District Commander, especially proud to see this honour go to a Tasman colleague who exemplifies the very best of community policing." Other work Middleton had been involved in included chairing the West Coast Blue Light branch since 2010, preventing drug use and being the West Coast health and safety area representative for the Police Association and a welfare officer. She led engagement with the school principal of Gloriavale Christian Community, which "led to a multi-agency response of active engagement with Gloriavale, enabling her to build trust and co-deliver a range of initiatives that would otherwise have not been introduced to the young people of the community", police said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Gloriavale leaders refuse to apologise to former member
Gloriavale leaders have refused to deliver a personal apology to a former member for abuse at the Christian community, despite publicly offering to say sorry to victims who ask for one. Leavers say that's exposed their pledge as a PR stunt, as Jean Edwards reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Gloriavale offer of apology to abuse victims a 'PR stunt'
By Jean Edwards of RNZ Gloriavale's public offer to personally apologise to victims of abuse at the Christian community on the West Coast has been exposed as a PR stunt after leaders refused to say sorry, former members say. Leavers have shared details of email exchanges between former member Gideon Benjamin, Gloriavale servant Peter Righteous and lawyers with RNZ, showing Benjamin's request for an apology was rejected because he would not meet in secrecy. In January, Gloriavale's Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple delivered a public apology on behalf of the church for abuse at the community between 1950 and 1999, following a Royal Commission of Inquiry recommendation in July last year. "We offer our deepest apologies that abuse had occurred in this time period," Temple said. "We invite victims to request a personal apology from the leadership on behalf of the Church for not reporting known cases of abuse to appropriate authorities." Benjamin wrote to Gloriavale's leaders the same day requesting a personal apology for allowing his father, who was jailed last year, to "abuse people for 30 years and not getting him the help that he needed" or dealing with him appropriately. When he did not receive a response to repeated emails, Benjamin threatened to visit Gloriavale to verbally demand an apology. Righteous then replied, warning any trip would be pointless because he was suing current community members. "The path forward is not going to be assisted by you turning up in our community seeking an apology in respect to your father," he wrote. "In your case, you have active proceedings against the leaders making very serious allegations against us. We are not therefore prepared to meet with you on any terms, much less to discuss issues that are directly raised by you in your claim against us." Benjamin was a plaintiff in a multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit filed against Gloriavale and five government agencies by former members who claimed they were held as slaves from birth by the community's leaders. Benjamin's lawyer then requested an apology on his behalf - in private - with the offer of a confidentiality agreement. Gloriavale agreed to a meeting with Temple, proposing that "they each agree they will not disclose or discuss with any person or entity (other than those present) any content of the meeting, including any personal details, responses, acknowledgements or outcomes". Benjamin sought amendments that would allow him to tell current and former members that he had received an apology from the leadership, although the details were to remain confidential. "Gideon's position is Howard's apology was made public so why should the fact he received/did not receive an apology be kept secret," an email said. However, Benjamin's request was ultimately rejected in a final email last month; "The terms counter proposed for the meeting are not acceptable to our client. The meeting with Gideon will therefore not proceed". Benjamin, 26, was born into Gloriavale but left in March 2023. When approached for comment, the father-of-four told RNZ he gave the leaders every chance to keep their word. "I wanted to be able to say that I gave them every opportunity. It was pretty insane, the lengths I went to. Most people probably would have given up. I felt like it a few times," he said. "If they had been totally different and showed a true heart of repentance, that would have quite honestly shaken my brain. It would have been mind-blowing. Really all they did was just prove me right. They haven't changed. "It's just called them out as liars." Benjamin said he could not accept an apology in secret. "I want the truth to be heard, that's all. For so long there have been too many secrets, cover-ups, things just swept under the carpet. I've had enough of secrets." He had planned to offer leaders his forgiveness at the end of the meeting, although he said that did not mean he would abandon court proceedings. "I was going to tell them that I forgive them, that the Christian thing for me to do was to forgive. "I can forgive them but I won't stand by and allow wrong to keep happening. It's my job as a human being and as a Christian to stand up for what's right and that doesn't interfere with forgiveness." Gloriavale did not respond to RNZ's request for comment. Former Gloriavale member Virginia Courage said the leaders' response showed their offer was not genuine. "It just looks to me like they were doing another PR stunt. What are you trying to do to this person, traumatise them more?" "An apology is something that's given freely. The acknowledgement and them taking responsibility is what will actually show leavers that Gloriavale has changed and that Gloriavale might be safe for the rest of our families inside. "A real apology isn't just words, it's what comes after those words. If the apology was backed up by action, they would stop fighting in court." Another Gloriavale leaver, who wished to remain anonymous, described the leaders' offer as a "box-ticking exercise" with a "nonsense" confidentiality agreement seemingly designed to protect them in court. "You don't ask someone to come to you. You know that these people are upset, you go, you find them." Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust manager Liz Gregory said decisions about apologies were personal matters for leavers. In July 2024, the government was urged to do everything it could to ensure the safety of Gloriavale members and their children as a result of Royal Commission findings that leaders allowed physical and sexual abuse at the community. The Abuse in Care inquiry found the Overseeing Shepherd and senior leaders at fault for failing to prevent abuse and protect survivors, and inappropriately handling perpetrators, allowing them to remain at Gloriavale and continue offending. Temple was facing 27 charges of sexual offending against 10 girls over a period of more than 20 years and would face a judge-alone trial in Greymouth.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Gloriavale's offer to personally apologise to victims of abuse a 'PR stunt'
Former member Gideon Benjamin. Photo: Supplied Gloriavale's public offer to personally apologise to victims of abuse at the Christian community has been exposed as a PR stunt after leaders refused to say sorry, former members say. Leavers have shared details of email exchanges between former member Gideon Benjamin, Gloriavale servant Peter Righteous and lawyers with RNZ, showing Benjamin's request for an apology was rejected because he would not meet in secrecy. In January, Gloriavale's Overseeing Shepherd Howard Temple delivered a public apology on behalf of the church for abuse at the community between 1950 and 1999, following a Royal Commission of Inquiry recommendation last July. "We offer our deepest apologies that abuse had occurred in this time period," Temple said. "We invite victims to request a personal apology from the leadership on behalf of the church for not reporting known cases of abuse to appropriate authorities." Benjamin wrote to Gloriavale's leaders the same day requesting a personal apology for allowing his father, who was jailed last year, to "abuse people for 30 years and not getting him the help that he needed" or dealing with him appropriately. When he did not receive a response to repeated emails, Benjamin threatened to visit Gloriavale to verbally demand an apology. Righteous then replied, warning any trip would be pointless because he was suing current community members. "The path forward is not going to be assisted by you turning up in our community seeking an apology in respect to your father," he wrote. "In your case, you have active proceedings against the leaders making very serious allegations against us. We are not therefore prepared to meet with you on any terms, much less to discuss issues that are directly raised by you in your claim against us." Benjamin was a plaintiff in a multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit filed against Gloriavale and five government agencies by former members who claimed they were held as slaves from birth by the community's leaders. Benjamin's lawyer then requested an apology on his behalf - in private - with the offer of a confidentiality agreement. Gloriavale agreed to a meeting with Temple, proposing that "they each agree they will not disclose or discuss with any person or entity (other than those present) any content of the meeting, including any personal details, responses, acknowledgements or outcomes". Benjamin sought amendments that would allow him to tell current and former members that he had received an apology from the leadership, although the details were to remain confidential. "Gideon's position is Howard's apology was made public so why should the fact he received/did not receive an apology be kept secret," an email said. However, Benjamin's request was ultimately rejected in a final email last month; "The terms counter proposed for the meeting are not acceptable to our client. The meeting with Gideon will therefore not proceed". Gloriavale Christian Community on the West Coast, taken when it was visited by the Employment Court's chief judge on 25 February 2023. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards Benjamin, 26, was born into Gloriavale but left in March 2023. When approached for comment, the father-of-four told RNZ he gave the leaders every chance to keep their word. "I wanted to be able to say that I gave them every opportunity. It was pretty insane, the lengths I went to. Most people probably would have given up. I felt like it a few times," he said. "If they had been totally different and showed a true heart of repentance, that would have quite honestly shaken my brain. It would have been mind-blowing. Really all they did was just prove me right. They haven't changed. "It's just called them out as liars." Benjamin said he could not accept an apology in secret. "I want the truth to be heard, that's all. For so long there have been too many secrets, cover-ups, things just swept under the carpet. I've had enough of secrets," he said. Benjamin had planned to offer leaders his forgiveness at the end of the meeting, although he said that did not mean he would abandon court proceedings. "I was going to tell them that I forgive them, that the Christian thing for me to do was to forgive," he said. "I can forgive them but I won't stand by and allow wrong to keep happening. It's my job as a human being and as a Christian to stand up for what's right and that doesn't interfere with forgiveness." Gloriavale did not respond to RNZ's request for comment. Former Gloriavale member Virginia Courage said the leaders' response showed their offer was not genuine. "It just looks to me like they were doing another PR stunt. What are you trying to do to this person, traumatise them more?" she said. "An apology is something that's given freely. The acknowledgement and them taking responsibility is what will actually show leavers that Gloriavale has changed and that Gloriavale might be safe for the rest of our families inside. "A real apology isn't just words, it's what comes after those words. If the apology was backed up by action, they would stop fighting in court." Another Gloriavale leaver, who wished to remain anonymous, described the leaders' offer as a "box-ticking exercise" with a "nonsense" confidentiality agreement seemingly designed to protect them in court. "You don't ask someone to come to you. You know that these people are upset, you go, you find them," she said. Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust manager Liz Gregory said decisions about apologies were personal matters for leavers. Last July, the government was urged to do everything it could to ensure the safety of Gloriavale members and their children as a result of Royal Commission findings that leaders allowed physical and sexual abuse at the community. The Abuse in Care inquiry found the Overseeing Shepherd and senior leaders at fault for failing to prevent abuse and protect survivors, and inappropriately handling perpetrators, allowing them to remain at Gloriavale and continue offending. Temple was facing 27 charges of sexual offending against 10 girls over a period of more than 20 years and would face a judge-alone trial in Greymouth. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: Norma Percy's series on what led to the 7 October attacks
9pm, BBC TwoHillary Clinton, John Kerry, Tony Blair, Ehud Olmert and Salam Fayyad are some of the highest-level political figures to speak in Norma Percy's all-encompassing series about the roots of the crisis that led to the attacks on 7 October 2023. It starts 20 years earlier, when Israeli settlers and armed forces were pulled out of the Gaza Strip, before Hamas won a shock election. The episode also features an interview with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, weeks before he was killed in July 2024. Hollie Richardson 8pm, BBC OneLast month, Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison for the murder of three young girls – Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe – at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. It's a story that horrified a nation, but more answers are needed. Panorama's Judith Moritz speaks with survivors and investigates how the authorities missed so many warning signs about the teenage attacker. HR 9pm, BBC One 'You think you're in control? This city's got rules of its own.' After the gas attack on Bradford's biggest LGBTQ+ nightclub, the serial killer embarks on a spot of kidnapping – and there's a potentially lethal cliffhanger for DI Harry Virdee (Staz Nair). 'Now the game begins … how long do you think you'll last, detective?' Ali Catterall 9pm, Sky AtlanticHow well do besties Laurie (Carrie Coon), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb) actually know one another? Why is moody Rick (Walton Goggins) really in Thailand? Will Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) recognise dodgy Greg (Jon Gries)? Who is going to be shooting the place up by the finale? These are the deliciously dark questions that Mike White has set up perfectly for season three of his hit wealth satire. HR 10pm, Channel 4Shamsa dreams of a tall boyfriend. Is 1.9m (6ft 3in) impressive enough? She'll find out when Hamish walks into the First Dates restaurant, ready to share his love of Whitney Houston. Meanwhile, Dominic once went on a date to TK Maxx. Perhaps Rebecca, who loves swimming with sharks, is up for a more adventurous time? HR 11.05pm, BBC TwoA measured documentary series about Gloriavale, a religious fundamentalist cult in New Zealand, ends with the truth about the community's misogyny and abuse coming publicly to light. Elsewhere, a woman who has left Gloriavale behind tries to maintain contact with her sister, who is still inside and expecting her sixth child. Jack Seale Corsage (Marie Kreutzer, 2022), 11.20pm, Film4 We're in Vienna in 1877, and Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps) is bored rigid. Railing against the restrictions of her role as wife to Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister), though still carrying around the baggage of privilege, she seeks a way out through dieting, excessive horse riding and flirting with her instructor (Colin Morgan). But the itch to escape won't be eased. Marie Kreutzer's costume drama is a fabulous, cheekily anachronistic tale of female agency (or the lack of it) with the luminous Krieps a mesmerising presence. Simon Wardell Championship football: Sheffield United v Leeds, 7pm, Sky Sports Main EventA top-of-the-table encounter between the Yorkshire clubs.
