Internal Affairs investigation into Gloriavale continues

Internal Affairs is still investigating the Gloriavale charitable trust, six months after the department announced it was looking into the charitable status. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Internal Affairs is still investigating the Gloriavale charitable trust, six months after the department announced it was looking into the charitable status.

The investigation was announced in March. Gloriavale Christian Community owns assets totalling $36.6 million, including a dairy farm, deer enterprise, sphagnum moss processing plant and an aircraft repair firm.

The tax-exempt charity, operating as the Christian Church Community Trust, is run by four church leaders and overseen by Hopeful Christian, who is referred to in documents as the "Overseeing Shepherd".

Internal Affairs said last week in a statement Charities Services was investigating the Christian Church Community Trust to determine whether it remained eligible for registration as a charity.

The department noted decisions about charitable registration status were made by the independent Charities Registration Board.

If an organisation disagreed with a decision made by the board, it could appeal to the High Court.

The Gloriavale trust's annual returns for August 2013 through July 2014 show it is worth more than $36.6m and made a net profit of more than $1.86m in that year.

Green MP Catherine Delahunty, who visited the reclusive community at Lake Haupiri last week, said members confirmed to her they received Working for Families financial support from the Government.IRD said it could not comment on individual cases.