Last updated 23:07, May 15 2018
Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian has died after a battle with cancer.
One of New Zealand's most controversial figures has died after a battle with cancer, aged 92.
Hopeful Christian, founder of the Gloriavale commune and convicted sex offender, died on Tuesday at the secluded community on the South Island's West Coast.
A former travelling preacher, Christian came to New Zealand from Australia in 1967 under the name Neville Cooper.
Christian was the religious sect's leader for more than 40 years before retiring in 2010.
He set himself up as a Christian preacher and spoke around the country, but he quickly fell out of favour with mainstream religious groups because of his fundamentalist preachings.
Gloriavale is on the shores of Lake Haupiri, a remote part of the West Coast.
He changed his name to Hopeful Christian some time after setting up Gloriavale Christian Community - named after his first wife Gloria - in 1969 in North Canterbury.
The religious group is well known to most New Zealanders, former members break ranks to tell stories of forced marriages, sexual and physical abuse, shunning anyone who leaves, and the complete financial domination of all members.
The community, which has about 600 members, moved to the West Coast in the early 1990s. It now sits on the shores of Lake Haupiri, a remote part of the West Coast.
Gloriavale women and girls dress the same in conservative long blue dresses.
Followers grow up in large families (an average of eight children), marry young, and must all contribute to the self-sufficient, communal-living lifestyle. In 2016, the community's assets reached more than $40 million.
Christian was thought to have at least 19 children with three different wives.
He was the sect's leader for more than 40 years before retiring in 2010. He remained an influential figure, holding the position of 'Overseeing Shepherd'.
Canaan said Gloriavale would fall to pieces if they knew the truth of Christian's sexual offending.
In 1995 based on the testimony of a woman and her son who fled the compound, he served a year in jail.
JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE
The woman whose indecent assault complaints sent Christian to jail had her name suppression lifted to speak out about the community and its leader.
Ben Canaan worked as a dairy contractor after leaving Gloriavale.
In a 2015 interview with TVNZ's Sunday programme, Yvette Olsen urged other women within the West Coast secret sect to flee if they felt they had been subject to indecent acts.
Nine years after Olsen was assaulted, she found the courage to see Cooper punished.
Cooper was found guilty of three charges of indecently assaulting Olsen at the Springbank Christian Community in Cust, North Canterbury, where the community was based at the time.
Yvette Olsen spoke out about Christian who indecently assaulted her.
The judge said it was difficult to imagine a more serious example of indecent assault.
He was sentenced to five years' jail, but spent just under two years behind bars.
"Yes he did those things to me, and no, he had no right to and I will not hide it anymore," Olsen said.
"He didn't have the right to do what he did, he is no man of God."
STORIES OF ABUSE NOT KNOWN WITHIN COMMUNITY
Former member Ben Canaan, 44, previously said Gloriavale would "fall to pieces" if its members knew the truth about their leader and his sexual convictions.
Canaan - who had lived at the community from age 12 - said at Gloriavale he was told all the people in the outside were selfish and wouldn't help them.
"If the people of Gloriavale knew the truth about the allegations, the place would fall apart," Canaan said in 2016.
The leaders held up on a pedestal with high regard "would fall to pieces".
The Canaan family, like many others, escaped the community under the cover of darkness with just the clothes on their backs.
"A CONTROLLING, MANIPULATIVE, SEXUAL DEVIANT'
For his son Phil Cooper, Christian was a controlling, manipulative, sexual deviant who set out to dominate every aspect of his life - from who he could marry to what he named his children.
Cooper is estranged from his father, having fled Gloriavale with his then-five children, 25 years ago.
Cooper told his story in a book, Sins of the Father, which was released in 2009.
In the book Cooper said the use of sexual images and movies were prevalent among the older men.
He had to endure watching his wife being fondled by his father and young girls were sometimes told to join community elders in hot tubs.
WHAT FORMER GLORIAVALE MEMBERS SAY OF HIS DEATH
Constance Ready, 24, who was born in Gloriavale decided 19 months ago she couldn't live there anymore and left.
"I only think that he did so much damage to the lives of many people it would have been nice if he had at least reached out to them before he passed, and owned the fact instead of continuing to believe that he was always in the right."
Constance's brother Luke Ready said "there are no words for the evil that man has propagated and condoned in the name of god".
"With the extent that he has hurt my family and other families ... I feel no remorse at his passing or empathy for the ones who'd mourn him."
He described Christian as "a master manipulator, he knew how to control people with fear".
"There's going to be a lot of people better off without him and a lot of people worse off."
Nineteen-year-old David Ready, who also left Gloriavale 18 months ago, told Stuff Circuit: "Tonight I will be having my first ever drink.
"I was saving it for a special occasion, and this is it," he said.
"Right now Hopeful Christian will be standing in front of God and he's giving his account of everything he's done. I would like to say to him 'I hope it was worth it'."
WHAT NOW FOR GLORIAVALE?
The Gloriavale community was busy with many people walking around and children playing in the playground when Stuff visited on Tuesday evening.
Spokesman Fervent Steadfast said Christian had dedicated 50 years of his life to the Gloriavale community and Jesus.
"He's in heaven now. This [community] is the fruits of his labour," he said.
Succession plans and funeral arrangements were "all in order", Steadfast said, but he would not elaborate further.
He would not be drawn on who would replace Christian, saying he himself was one of a number of leaders at Gloriavale.