Born Daniel Pilgrim on the grounds of the West Coast commune, Nicholson is Cooper\u2019s great-grandson. <\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, the apple falls a long way from the tree,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The catalyst for leaving the community was complex. Nicholson and his family started reading more about Christianity and realised the values of Gloriavale did not align. <\/p>\n
\u201cI tended to think for myself a lot more than everyone else … I\u2019d ask why things were the way they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
His dad, at the time a high-ranking Shepherd, wrote a letter to the other Shepherds saying he was concerned about what was happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey essentially didn\u2019t even read it, and said you either drop this or leave.\u201d <\/p>\n
So they did. <\/p>\n
Daniel Pilgrim (right) outside the Christchurch District Court in May 2022. Photo \/ George Heard<\/p>\n
Like many other leavers, Nicholson has seen the three-part documentary series that has screened on Three over the past three nights.<\/p>\n
The series, produced by Dame Julie Christie and NHNZ Internationals, features interviews with individuals within and outside the Gloriavale community, alongside exclusive access to 50 years of archival footage from within the community. <\/p>\n
A press release for the documentary claims it \u201cpresent[s] a breadth of perspectives, allowing audiences to engage with the material without editorial commentary\u201d.<\/p>\n
“The documentary presents interviews from a wide range of people both inside and outside of Gloriavale. It aims to provide viewers with a range of perspectives and to allow them to draw their own conclusions,” a Three spokesperson says, adding that before broadcast, they undertook due diligence in relation to the documentary and its participants to make sure it met BSA requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs with any documentary dealing with complex and often deeply personal experiences, viewers may hold differing opinions. We respect those views and encourage audiences to engage with the full series and make their own informed assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson and other former Gloriavale members were \u201cvery disappointed\u201d with the documentary. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a strong sense among leavers that they kind of misrepresented the facts and made it out to be quite different to what it is, and gave these people a platform to say whatever they wanted to say and then not have it followed up with the facts of the situation,\u201d Nicholson says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the doco, they said the media has this narrative that they\u2019re pushing or this narrative they\u2019re spinning. When it comes to Gloriavale, it\u2019s that crazy that there\u2019s no need for elaboration. This stuff is real, and it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Nicholson as a child at the Gloriavale Christian Community.<\/p>\n
He says people watching the documentary series should look widely for information on his former community.<\/p>\n
\u201cBalance it with everything else that you\u2019ve seen when it comes to Gloriavale, because there are better documentaries that are a lot more accurate, and there are great articles and stats that can\u2019t really be denied. You\u2019ve got to do your homework before forming an opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Virginia Courage, another leaver, told cult awareness group Decult the documentary gave Gloriavale \u201ca PR platform to whitewash itself\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cGloriavale are obsessed with their own image and will use any opportunity to be the \u2018saviour\u2019 or \u2018victim\u2019. If people watching this doco are not aware of these techniques, they will struggle to know what is correct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson says he thinks the documentary became a platform to essentially normalise the community\u2019s concerning behaviours. \u201cLoaded terms, half-truths, and lies\u201d are among the things he picked up. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so frustrating. I felt like pausing it and talking back and saying, \u2018that\u2019s not right here\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Gloriavale compound on the West Coast. Photo \/ Jean Edwards, RNZ<\/p>\n
Nicholson still has family living in Gloriavale who he\u2019s tried, unsuccessfully, to visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not very welcome, obviously, but it\u2019s definitely not like they portrayed in the doco,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time I went in there to see my sick grandma, I was told by Howard [Temple], \u2018you\u2019re never welcome here ever again\u2019. That\u2019s the reality, and the doco is miles apart from that.\u201d<\/p>\n