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Welcome to part 2 of exploring the secretive world of New Zealand Cults. You might wanna make sure you've got a while to sit down and read today's post because I tell you right now, we're gonna go on a massive rabbit hole journey together and you're gonna want to click on all the hyperlinks and learn more. If you haven't already checked out part 1, you can do so "here".
If part 1 wasn't a wild enough ride, then you're in for a treat today! A quick recap of part 1 though - we explored some of NZ's most infamous cults: Gloriavale, Centrepoint, Kosmic Fusion, and Shincheonji - and I'm still legitimately scared they might come for me. But I love learning about cults, writing about cults, and then educating others about cults so we'll keep going. And no, I'm not anti-cults or think that everyone should go and join a cult - some people thrive in a cult and others don't. I wouldn't recommend joining one though because I'm a big fan of living in the West/mainstream society. Sure, we have plenty of problems, but I do like having my own autonomy.
In this post, we're going to learn about the following cults in NZ
Eckankar (NZ)
Scientology (NZ)
Gentle Wind Project (NZ)
Exclusive Brethren (NZ)
So without further ado, let's get into this second deep dive into the secretive world of New Zealand cults - that aren't actually that secretive because they're right in front of you.
Eckankar
In the interest of transparency, this is an NRM that I hadn't heard of before I sat down to write these blog posts. It's got a weird name and I'm wondering if it's a word backward for some reason - like how some people think heavy metal music has hidden secret messages in them. Raknakce (I don't think that's a word so probably not - it just looks like it could be something like that).
Also, I wouldn't label Eckankar a "cult" but more specifically a New Religious Movement (NRM). However, if you disagree with that, feel free to offer an explanation in the comments. There are some dodgy looking news articles that do say it's a cult though - I will leave that up to you to google because I don't really wanna link them in my blog.
So where did Eckankar come from? Well, it all started, a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away (no I'm kidding, obviously) - I legit have no idea if this sounds how I want it to sound when you're reading this LOL. Anyway, Eckankar was started by Paul Twitchell in 1965 according to Wikipedia. Twitchell was an American author and spiritual teacher/leader. He passed away in 1971. The origins of Eckankar began at a temple in the country town of Chanhassen, Minnesota, USA. The word "Eckankar" is believed to be adapted from the Sanskrit phrase "Ik Onkar" which can be interpreted as "one God". Since Twitchell's passing, there have been a few other successors which have allowed the movement to continue to grow, and grow globally. We don't know the exact number of members, but there are members in over 120 countries.
The belief system of Eckankar is a very overarching spiritual tone - I would say kinda New Agey in a sense with the mission to help its members achieve spiritual growth and spiritual liberation - it's not a sense that the self is a god-like in New Age communes specifically, but more that one works together with one god to achieve these things. Certain schools of thought take the approach that the beliefs of Eckankar are influenced by both Hinduism and Sikhism. The main spiritual teaching is that the body can be removed from the soul (I guess that's kinda similar to astral projection) - and the true self is able to travel through different planes of reality and in turn, this is the "natural" way back to God himself (literally the definition of astral projection - except without the god part). Members will participate in mantras, and singing of HU (a love song to God), and this will help with spiritual growth.
I've also managed to find this list of beliefs/teachings on the international website "here":
Soul is eternal.
Soul maintains Its individuality throughout eternity.
Soul exists because God loves It.
Soul is on a journey of Self-Realization and God-Realization.
Soul unfolds spiritually via karma and reincarnation until It reaches the heights of Self-Realization.
Spiritual unfoldment is accelerated through conscious contact with the ECK, Divine Spirit.
Direct contact with Divine Spirit can be made via the Spiritual Exercises of ECK and the guidance of the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, the Living ECK Master.
You can actively explore the spiritual worlds through Soul Travel, dreams, and other spiritual techniques.
Spiritual experience and liberation in this lifetime are available to all.
I don't know why the quote system on the blog here got so obnoxious - but that's a quote from their website about their teachings.
So when did this movement come to lil old New Zealand? Well, I'm having a bit of trouble finding this information myself but according to a few secondary sources it was around the 1970s/1980s - I'm sorry I cannot pinpoint a specific year - I really wish I could. The only sources I can find are "here" and "here". The blog Content Catnip even labels them a "sausage fest" which I think is hilarious (and yes, that means male-dominated if you were unaware - thank f*ck for Urban Dictionary aye). Haha I make myself laugh. Anyway, I can't seem to find anything of interest for this NRM in New Zealand - it just exists there. I don't know whether it's harming anybody and I don't know how popular it is - I would say in NZ, probably not that popular and I'd still be more worried about Shincheonji. However, there are some BOLD claims that a lot of their teachings/books/spiritual stuff are heavily plagiarised and stolen and I'm not about that. Plagiarism isn't okay, especially when it's done on purpose - not those accidental ones when you forget to reference yourself or have a little bit of trouble paraphrasing something when you literally take something word for word and play it off as you're on. Just no. Pls no. It came out in the 1970s by a professor of sociology that Twitchell was plagiarising - honestly, how do these people get away with it? Also looking at you L. Ron Hubbard. Anyway, you can read more about that "here" if you're interested.
I did manage to find an interesting YouTube video about someone who was "born" into Eckankar (her parents were part of this community) and her claims are very like "it's not a cult" - I found this really interesting to listen to with someone's worldview from the perspective of being part of Eckankar. It feels like she's wanting to not recruit people, but then at the same time encourage people to try it - I'm not sure if she's aware of this or if it's something subconscious. Like I'm all for astral projection and stuff, but I don't personally believe in God.
One thing that did rub me the wrong way about this is that she will say "When I was in a situation that it wasn't possible to get out of, I believed in Eckankar and was able to" and idk if that was really what got her out. But what about all the people who get k*dnapped? What about all those who are currently risking their lives? Anyway, that's my critique.
Anyway, I'll let you watch/listen to the video below and make your own opinion on her thoughts.
I do think this woman is quite indoctrinated in her ways, but I have to give her credit where credit is due, the critiques in her review of Eckankar are valid and it is good to see someone have some.
But as for lil old New Zealand - this NRM exists there, but how prominent? Probably not that prominent in my opinion. Also, if I happen to be wrong, please enlighten me.
Scientology
I feel like Scientology probably deserves its own post - and maybe one day we'll get there BUT damn, I am not gonna say this is an NRM. Scientology is a cult - and you can label this slander and everyone definitely has their own religious freedom and right to believe in what they want, so if you're a Scientologist (which I highly doubt you would be on my blog reading about my lifestyle sh*t and sociology stuff) I will do my utmost best not to judge you, but I can't promise anything.
It freaks me out how Scientology exists in pretty much every single country in the world, including my homeland of New Zealand. And I cannot believe that New Zealand was the second place where the Church of Scientology was established EVER in the world (in 1955). What the f*ck? I'm so glad I didn't move to Auckland - although yes, there is one in Melbourne too. Why do these guys have so much money? Oh yeah that's right, because they operate the same way as a MLM does. Excuse my sassy tone here. I just have a bit of trouble with this one.
So now we know that Scientology's second-ever church was established in Auckland in 1955, let's get into what Scientology IS. Scientology is a belief system created by Author L. Ron Hubbard (his name just reminds me of a balloon for some reason). I want to preface this by say L. Ron Hubbard wrote a lot of science fiction stuff when he was alive so just keep that in mind if you haven't come across Scientology before.
It originally started as something called "Dianetics" - which Hubbard said was a form of therapy in 1950 and by 1952, Dianetics had gone bankrupt. He was savvy though and rebranded it to be called "Scientology" and instead of a therapy (that many psychologists debunked), it was now a religion. Then in 1954, somehow Hubbard got the rights back to Dianetics - honestly, I can't keep up with this guy. And in 1954, the Church of Scientology was officially founded in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The belief system is REALLY messed up and it makes me so upset that this traumatic stuff happens every day. Before we go any further though, I would highly recommend watching Louis Theroux's documentary on Scientology - like after reading the blog, it's fascinating to watch and also quite scary what happened to Louis and the people he "interviewed". Anyway, the belief system of Scientology is as follows (and I want to just say here that it's about going up in levels):
Reincarnation
Traumatic events cause "engrams"
Such engrams can be removed by "auditing" - remember that thing I discussed in the previous blog post under the Kosmic Fusion section where people are put through confessionals and would likely make stuff up - yeah this is what Scientology does to its members
They audit members with an e-reader that allegedly reads people's emotional responses to things
Members must pay for auditing sessions and only after the auditor declares the auditee clear of engrams - they are then deemed "clear"
Auditing is believed to keep people free of universal influence
Once a member achieves a "clear" status (often after years of auditing), they can then participate in "Operating Thetan"
Operating Thetan also has fees and members are required to pay to participate
There are 8 levels of Operating Thetan and this is where a member can achieve full spiritual freedom (they eventually move body thetans - attachments to members' bodies that are said to be confused souls from elsewhere)
Apparently, the Thetan texts and further levels are kept secret from members as they rise up the ranks - but they're also online for free - Wikipedia says Wikilinks has them. Interesting
And the belief that you've all been waiting for - the Thetan texts say that "past life took place in extraterrestrial cultures" and that brings me to Xenu
Xenu is an alien who was came to Earth around 70 million years ago and brought with him lots of aliens, put them in volcanoes, and then k*lled them with hydrogen b*mbs
And then these alien spirits attach themselves to humankind and Scientology is the only way to get rid of them
Whaaaaaat? Just writing it down and talking about it feels insane to me. And I feel really judgemental right now, but just whaaaaaat?
I do find it interesting that L. Ron Hubbard wasn't your typical cult leader - like he didn't become the deity that everyone worshipped - he was just another typical Thetan along for the ride. Did Hubbard just think to himself one day "hahah what would happen if I made up a total hocus pocus religion with sci-fi undertones, will people believe it?" Plenty of people on the internet think he's the biggest troll - and tbh I agree, he found a way to troll people, kinda control them, and in turn make money off them.
So why is Scientology a cult?
Many governments deem Scientology a dangerous cult, but I wouldn't say it's a cult in the same sense that Gloriavale is a cult. However, I do believe some members do live communally in some places and not others (although I can't seem to find a source, so I could really just be making stuff up rn).
The members of Scientology do become really indoctrinated into the worldviews of Scientology - like it's pretty easy to get sucked up in to a level-system to achieve more levels of spiritual freedom. But I think it's easier to understand why Scientology is a cult when you take a look at what happens when members leave the cult. And it's terrifying.
Members who are able to leave are often monitored (like they will be stalked, followed, blackmailed, etc), they will receive threats from Scientology, they will be ex-communicated to whoever is still in Scientology, slander ex-celebrities and say they are twisting the story - sorry but I kinda believe these celebs and what they went through. There's this whole "Fair Game" law that Scientology has to deal with things like this too. The wiki article even says anyone in Scientology that doesn't comply with this law are able to be "punished and harassed using any and all means possible".
Why is Scientology so popular? I would say because a lot of celebrities are Scientologists - remember that creepy video of Tom Cruise that surfaced in like 2006 where his eyes looked like they were gonna pop out of his head? I can't seem to find the one I'm thinking of, but "here's" a clip from The Late Show with David Letterman where he does the same thing. I even think Scientology told Cruise to tone it down a bit for his career too. I don't think he has any communication with his children anymore either. Anyway, there are plenty of other celebs associated with the Church - John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Danny Masterson (UGH), Will Smith, and plenty of celebs who have also left - Katie Holmes, Beck, Paul Haggis, and Leah Remini who have gone through hell and back. Here are a few articles:
Leah Remini on her Break With the Church of Scientology: 'I Wanted to Be The One to Say It' - by ABC News
Paul Haggis - What happens when you try to leave the Church of Scientology? - by The Guardian
Scientology Defectors: A Timeline - Rolling Stone
I also forgot to mention that when L. Ron Hubbard passed away in 1986, the Church was taken over by David Miscavige - who is probably a lot more manipulative and scary than Hubbard was. "Here's" the story of how David became who he is today.
Anyway, I don't think I've really scratched the surface of what Scientology is - I didn't even talk about the Sea Org - just think of them as the board members. But alas, let's get back to Scientology in NZ! And yep, it was the 2nd Church of Scientology and it was established in Auckland by Frank Turnball - an average guy from Christchurch, NZ who learned about Scientology, then flew all the way to Phildelphia to meet L. Ron Hubbard - became a bishop, and from there the rest is history. Also, apparently kiwi journalist David Farrier joined the Church of Scientology for a little bit - which both surprises me and doesn't surprise me - he has done some weird sh*t in his career as a journalist. Farrier's experiences of Scientology aren't that exciting though - he only joined because he was writing an article about them - man writers really go to some crazy lengths just to publish something - I wonder what I'll do in the future. I don't think Farrier's time with Scientology lasted a long time, he did some auditing, got some books, and that was it. I have no idea if anything has happened to him since.
In 2016/2017, Scientology spent $16 million dollars on revamping New Zealand's Church - you can watch a silly video from comedian Guy Williams about it below:
The Cook Straight joke made me laugh.
There's also an interview Radio New Zealand did with a Church of Scientology spokesperson "here" that's kinda fascinating if I haven't already given you enough to read.
Gentle Wind Project
What's next? The Gentle Wind Project (this kinda sounds like a project that's about wind turbines but you'll be disappointed when you realise it's not). Anyway, this group no longer exists - but it did come to New Zealand.
The Gentle Wind Project was a New Age group that started in New England in the USA and it was founded by Claudia Panuthos (now Mary Moe Miller) and John "Tubby" Miller - is he a teletubbie? It was founded in 1980. And before you get excited to learn about this business-style-scam cult, lower your expectations. It's not that interesting and there's a lack of information about it - so I would say the average Joe wouldn't know what this was and probably make the same wind turbine joke I did. Anyway, Gentle Wind Project was everything you would expect a New Age community to be - they described themselves as not-for-profit healing agency designed to help people restore the correct energetic structure in their life. Leader John Miller claimed to received messages from the spirit world about healing people, and in turn, he told the public that he could heal them for a donation.
With this mumbo jumbo of healing people spiritually, came a litigation from former followers - and Gentle Wind Project was found guilty of fraud, false claims, and improperly disbursing money to themselves (or more simply put, racketeering). Basically they had a product called a "healing device" and it didn't do sh*t. In 2006, Gentle Wind Project came to an agreement with their lawsuit and was dissolved.
So what about Gentle Wind Project in New Zealand? Well, the sources are limited so I can't confirm this, but according to cult.co.nz "here", in 2004, Gentle Wind Project was established in New Zealand by Mary Miller with someone called Grace Maiden (we have no idea the connection between the two of them) - and they promoted the same healing scams as they did in America. Not very interesting, really. But, I did find an interesting Reddit post of people discussing Gentle Wind Project "here".
I just think it was that classic case of let's make a cr*ppy product, sell it to people under false New Age healing powers, people fall for it - but they don't really fall for it because nothing happens, and then ex-members sue you case.
Case closed.
Exclusive Brethren
Now, this one is interesting. I once had a student who had left the Exclusive Brethrens (at least that's what I think it was - I'm not 100% sure) and was ex-communicated from their whole family - which sucked, but that's what happens when you leave a cult. Although I'm still on the fence about whether this one is really a cult - or just a really intense fundamental religion.
Anyway, the Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical group Plymouth Brethren - I think they're separated into 3 different subcategories and they have members in 19 countries (including Australia and New Zealand). I won't get into the history of them in this blog post because that would just be way too much to go over, but it's your typical extend out and then have different views subset. They reject the notion of "evolution" and they even go so far as to remove children from state schools that teach evolution lessons, they view women as submissive and don't think they should hold authority (and in turn I would say positions of power), they believe in the "Rapture" aka they believe there will be a catastrophic event where all Christian believers will be resurrected and also that the world will end, and most Exclusive Brethren communities have no formal structure (like leadership structure). They will have gatherings where a man preaches, and they will participate in hymns, and socialisation outside of the church is not really recommended.
So what about the Exclusive Brethrens in New Zealand? Well, there's been a bit of drama in Aotearoa with this community. One article discusses how members of the Exclusive Brethren in New Zealand are not allowed to make contact with non-members, not even their family members who believe in different things to them, and in 2023, there was a spur-of-the-moment Bruce Hales drop, into New Zealand - who expected everyone to turn up to his assembly. Apparently, letters were going out to Exclusive Brethren where they had found out the members had been participating in the following activities:
Day trips or overnight trips to other countries (for pleasure, not work)
Staying in places such as hotels, resorts, islands, etc., (where they are no Brethren) and even honeymooning
Engaging in the above acts on Thursdays or Fridays when Brethrens don't hold any meetings
Travelling in general without reference to the Brethrens
Yeah, now I'm leaning back towards"cult" - so Bruce Hales is one of the most senior members of the Plymouth Brethren and went to New Zealand because of the bullet-pointed list. He believed he was losing control of his community. There are thoughts that Hales may have been scared and wanted to do something to regain his control of his members in New Zealand - as there was a podcast on YouTube about ex-members. Can't believe Bruce Hales is watching YouTube. That's the tea though lol.
Brethren in New Zealand own lots of businesses, they also run schools, their own churches or meeting rooms as they call it and their businesses are small but efficient and they tend to be things like vineyards, agriculture, farms, machinery, etc. You can read more "here" - but be warned this article is from 2006 and the political views are very hard to handle in 2024. Like they would only align themselves with political parties that had similar views to theirs (anti-gay-rights, pro-nuclear family, etc.) because they believed it would delay the rapture. As someone who grew up in a non-traditional home with a single mother and understands that being gay isn't a choice, these views really grind my gears. What if someone got domestically abused? Why can't love just be love? The world hasn't ended just because two men or two women are in love. Love is love, just let it be. Okay, yes I've gone off on a tangent, but those views are so backward. "Here's" another really powerful (a tear-jerker too) article about an ex-member of the Exclusive Brethren who was sent away from New Zealand and into Sydney Australia so that his sexuality could be suppressed. It really makes you sad. However, he did escape and is now living his best life - which is all you could ever ask for.
Also, they say they're lax about rules but a lot of these articles of people's first-hand experiences talk about how if they go outside, people start asking questions and it becomes more "forbidden" to do those things. I think I even read about how one couple went to the beach with a stereo and were banned from the church for using that piece of technology. Like what? Thankfully, there's now a network created by an ex-member in New Zealand to help people who have left or been forced out of these extremist groups, you can read about it "here."
Mahana
When I tell you that there is BARELY any information about Mahana, there's BARELY any information about this commune that doesn't exist anymore. But how long has it been abandoned for? I don't know, personally. I don't even know if we're gonna find out today, but let's learn about it!
In 2017/2018, Vice did an article and a docu-story-type video on Mahana - New Zealand's lost commune and that's really all the information I can find online - it's like this commune has been lost in the relentless march of time.
According to Vice, Mahana was established in the Coromandel Penisula following Nambassa - the NZ hippie movement to keep it short and sweet, in 1978. Following the festival, a group got together and decided that they wanted to keep living this way, so they bought some land and "set it free". This was a fully open commune meaning that anyone could sign up and move in. It had around 60 permanent members at its prime, 27 children, and circa 120 temporary members - and would often rise in summer months. Members will tell you that Mahana means warmth in Māori but apparently, it's from a rock opera in 1976. As of 2017, all the houses are still there and Vice says that 20 people still live at Mahana but a lot of the houses have been empty for a long time. Some things would start to rot and many people became allured of moving to the city to fulfill the rest of their lives.
After families left, the structure of Mahana changed, with it being mostly males, and with that, came arguments about land ownership, rights, etc. - all those things that kinda just happen naturally when a commune starts to split.
You can watch the whole interview with a member (Arthur) below who still lived at Mahana in 2018 - I don't know whether Arthur is still alive or still lives there.
But his quote really hits home: "The hardest thing to do, believe it or not, is live your own philosophy" - Arthur (2018).
The End!
You might also be wondering why I didn't mention Destiny's Church - and I honestly just forgot about them until I remembered who Brian Tamaki was so that's an idea for a future blog post. And yes I'm aware that there are a few communes/churches in these two posts that blur the lines between cult and churches, but it's just really interesting to me. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Thank you for reading!
Much love,
Ash xx
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