The Employment Court has ruled that a group of ex-Gloriavale members were employees at the secretive Christian community - from when they were just six years old.

Further, the members undertook "strenuous, difficult, and sometimes dangerous" work when they were still legally required to be at school.

The landmark decision now opens the door for the leavers to take further court action against Gloriavale.

Earlier this year the group took the Christian community to court in a bid to determine their employment status while they lived there and ascertain whether they were wrongly exploited as workers.

Leavers Hosea Courage, Daniel Pilgrim and Levi Courage were seeking a declaration from the Employment Court around their status after they left school and worked at the commune and in Gloriavale-owned businesses during their teenage years.

The court action follows multiple inquiries into the employment status of people living and working at Gloriavale.

The Labour Inspectorate investigated in 2017 after concerns raised by Charities Services, and again in 2020, after allegations of long working hours were made by two community members.

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The results of both inquiries showed that no employment relationships existed within Gloriavale as defined by New Zealand employment law - that members of Gloriavale cannot currently be considered employees.

As such, the matter falls outside of the Inspectorate's jurisdiction.

So, the leavers took the matter to the...

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