Gloriavale. Photo: Google Maps
A Gloriavale mother-of-eight has told a court the Christian community cannot afford to pay everyone wages and employment relationships would destroy their way of life.
Temperance Hopeful, who is married to Shepherd Noah Hopeful, told the Employment Court hearing in Greymouth that Gloriavale members had a right to live according to their faith and their hard work was not slave labour, but a labour of love.
Six former Gloriavale women claim they lived in servitude at the West Coast commune and are seeking a ruling they were employees, not volunteers.
Hopeful told the court the leavers had painted an unfair and unbalanced picture of Gloriavale, where members wanted to lead a Christian life.
"To us, living in a sharing community has proven to be the most practical way of doing it. For this, we are being unjustly attacked from without to destroy our way of life, which is according to our religious beliefs," she said.
"I believe this whole case is an attack on our faith. What is being called slave labour is simply a labour of love to those who love to serve Christ by serving one another."
The hearing is being held at Greymouth Courthouse. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards
Hopeful said she did not expect reward for her work.
"We're not designed that way. We don't work for money, we just work for our way of life for our families. I've never been interested in money for money's sake. We're working for the benefit of all," she said.
Under cross-examination by the women's barrister Brian Henry, Hopeful told the court a declaration the former members were employees would be financially ruinous.
"It will destroy the community, because I know we don't have the money to pay it all out. I don't know the finances but I know that much. We can't afford to have everyone as employees," she said.
A 50-minute documentary on Gloriavale's website called A Woman's Place, featuring the wedding of Temperance Hopeful's daughter Jemima, was also played to the court.
In a kitchen scene, a wall clock shows the time is 5.30am, as the narrator says the girls are already half-an-hour into their shift.
Gloriavale mother-of-nine Bithiah Faithful later told the court high school girls were no longer expected to be at work before 6am.
While working on the teams could be hard work, Faithful said there was always time to take a break and the leaders never expected girls to start early.
"My experience working on the teams was not that I worked terribly hard or that it was a mad rush every day to get our jobs done with no rest or time to eat," she said.
"I love working hard and feeling the fulfilment that comes when a job is well done and knowing that I'm helping my brothers and sisters in Christ."
Faithful, whose sister Pearl Valor is one of the six plaintiffs, said she chose to live at Gloriavale and its leaders were not bullying tyrants.
"I am not forced to live this life. I choose to serve the Lord and love sharing with my Brethren," she said.
"My husband is very caring and loves me and would never treat me in any way as a slave to him."
Gloriavale mother Lydia Christian told the court the Shepherds and Servants did not have a secret or selfish agenda.
She said the community had a strong work ethic but she was not deprived.
Overseeing Shepherd of Gloriavale Howard Temple (file image). Photo: Screenshot / Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry
"Howard Temple would love to lighten the workload. He has often shared with us his vision of finding a way to give more time to the mums and families. It is his top priority. Unfortunately though, the bills still need paying," she said.
"There are no employers in this community. The only ones who demand for us to work are the children."
Former members have previously testified about sexual harassment and abuse at Gloriavale, where they said women and girls were always blamed for sexual misconduct.
Christian said she felt emotionally harassed and socially abused when she read headlines about her home describing it as a "sex cult".
"Sin and lust are everywhere so yes, in our ignorance and desire to be merciful, loving and forgiving, there have been perverts among us. But I have never heard sexual immorality encouraged, condoned or taught," she said.
"I feel safe in our community."
Christian said the leaders were committed to eradicating sexual abuse at Gloriavale.
She told the court she grew up knowing she would be picked for her husband by God, even though watching people falling in love in movies like Titanic did seem more attractive.
"The love story is totally capturing, but then I would look and my mum and dad and their marriage and the home they had created for us children and I realised that they had the secret to true love - unlike Kate Winslet who had been married three times already," she said.
Christian, who has four children, said she had a loving, consenting relationship with her husband and was not a sex slave.