Pearl Valor a resident of Gloriavale. Photo / TVNZ
Pearl Valor a resident of Gloriavale. Photo / TVNZ
A new documentary on Gloriavale has revealed more about what it's like to live in the isolated West Coast community - and how its residents react when someone walks out.
Gloriavale - Life and Death on TV2 tonight returned to check in on the marriage of Paul Valor and Pearl Hope, a young couple who have grown up in the conservative Christian community.
The couple now have a daughter named Esther and were shown during the show having a son named Josiah.
Paul and Pearl, like all married couples in the community, were chosen by the leaders of Gloriavale.
The show's narrator explained that the senior men decide everything, arranging all the relationships through a mix of planning and prayer.
"The leaders - they have got lists of all bloodlines and so when you come and ask them to get married, they can get you a list of, you know, five or six girls who you can marry without any problems and they'll all be within your age bracket ... that's what we call the shortlist."
One of the leaders can be heard telling him: "God has got somebody specially prepared for you".
The 22-year-old said it was the lord's will for him to marry Pearl.
"I want to marry a godly wife, the only really godly women that I personally know are here."
Pearl, also aged in her early 20s, said she chose to love whoever God wanted her to marry. "And that's a decision you make and it's not hard, it's easy."
Paul Valor and Pearl Valor residents of Gloriavale on their wedding day. Photo / TVNZ
For her, work each day is based on the community roster of cooking, cleaning and laundry.
Paul works in a managerial role at the community's meat meal factory, which involves drying offal for the pet food industry in New Zealand and abroad.
Both come from very large families - Paul's the eldest of 11 kids and Pearl's the second youngest of 10.
In the week leading up to Pearl giving birth to Josiah, Paul's mother, Purity, gives birth to her 12th child.
There are about 30 or 40 babies born in Gloriavale every year, sometimes with complications.
Purity's baby Daniel is rushed to Greymouth Hospital when he contracts an infection. Paul explained the protocol surrounding troubled births such as this.
"If something did go wrong, it would be the father's decision on whether or not we had to go in to hospital ... "
Residents of Gloriavale make food for the community. Photo / TVNZ
The documentary, produced by television production company Pacific Screens, also looked at other members of the 530 strong community.
It introduced one of the oldest couples living there, Rose and Steady Standtrue, who have 57 great grandchildren.
When Mr Standtrue dies during the show, viewers are shown how the conservative population of Gloriavale grieve and mourn a cherished member. The 82-year-old was one of their leaders.
The show also talked to Harmony Helpful, one of two midwives in Gloriavale.
Ms Helpful delivered Pearl's babies.
"I've done a degree course and I've had 12 children of my own. So you can say I have some experience," she said.
Paul also revealed how the community reacts when a member leaves.
"There's actually two ways to leave here. There's the way that Steady left us - when he went to glory ... the other way that people can leave is when they walk out.
He said when people decide that Gloriavale is not the place for them and leave, to the community that was "a much more permanent loss".
"They've left something behind ... we grieve for them too, but it's a different type of grief because we'll probably never see them again. That's the end of it as far as we're concerned, they can live their life and we will just live our life, that's the way things are.
"I believe that the truth is here. When people leave here, they are leaving the truth behind."
