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Champion Of Change

Presenters, panel hosts & MCs

Dr. Janja Lalich

Dr Janja Lalich

Dr Janja Lalich, Professor Emerita of Sociology, is an international authority on cults, extremism, and coercion. She specializes in narcissistic relationships, human trafficking and ideological extremism with a particular focus on recruitment and indoctrination. Dr. Lalich is the founder and CEO of the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion in California and the author of six books, including Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships and Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out and Starting Over. Janja was featured in the documentaries “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping”, “Escaping Twin Flames” and “Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult”. In addition to working with survivors and their families, she conducts workshops for government agencies, international intelligence agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. She has served as a consultant and expert witness in civil and criminal legal cases

While in New Zealand, Janja Lalich is available for speaking appointments, CPD and university lectures.

MORE INFO

Janja’s sessions are at 9:35am and 10:50am on the 19th October as well as 2:00pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Cults 101: Influence and harm of high-control groups
Cults are everywhere today. But what exactly is a cult? How do these organisations work? Why do cult members do things that seem incomprehensible to us? And why is it so hard to leave? Dr Janja Lalich will explain all that and more in her keynote talk at DECULT.

Kids in cults: From damage and silence to justice and repair (PANEL)
How to make sense of the outside world without a sense of self?
The invisible suffering of children who were born or raised in high-control groups is one of the largest unrecognised public health issues. The panellists discuss how cultic influence throughout a child’s formative years has a lasting impact and results in continued issues even after leaving. They will highlight the specific needs of kids in cults, questioning why these have historically been ignored.

Invisible rainbow youth: purity, conversion and coming out in cults (PANEL)
The panellists will discuss purity culture, homophobia, rainbow rights, conversion therapy
and sexual repression in cultic religious environments.

David Farrier

David Farrier is a New Zealand journalist and film maker based in Los Angeles who spent a short time inside Scientology. His work includes the Netflix series Dark Tourist (2018), the podcasts Flightless Bird and Armchair Expert, and the critically acclaimed documentaries Tickled (2016) and Mister Organ (2022). His investigations into Arise megachurch have been published on his Webworm platform and on The Spinoff. He has also been an outspoken commentator on harmful disinformation during the Covid pandemic.

Dr Gillie Jenkinson

Dr Gillie Jenkinson is an award-winning psychotherapist and the director of Hope Valley Counselling in the UK. As a former member of an abusive cult, she specialises in working with survivors of trauma, thought-reform (brainwashing), and spiritual, emotional and sexual abuse in cults. Gillie is the mental health editor for The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) and a coordinator for EnCourage. Her book ‘Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth’ was published in 2023. 

The world renowned expert on cult recovery therapy will be holding additional workshops for New Zealand’s mental health workers after the Decult conference. More info on those trainings here.

Gillie’s sessions are at 9:10am and 2:00pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Walking free from trauma and abuse: A model for cult recovery
The psychological harm caused by cults can live on long after someone has left, especially if the way cults operate is not understood and processed. In her keynote at DECULT, Gillie Jenkinson will discuss the effect of cults on mental health and identity. The path to recovery, which is often not found in general therapy, requires an understanding of the phases of recovery and growth. She will discuss the Walking Free Model and her workbook which provides a psychological roadmap for recovery and hope for the future.  

Craig Hoyle

Craig Hoyle grew up in Invercargill within the New Zealand Exclusive Brethren. Separated from public society, he attended Brethren-only schooling and worked in his family’s tyre shop. After facing interrogations and conversion therapy for his sexuality, he was excommunicated from the Brethren and lost his family in 2009. Today he is chief news director for the Sunday Star-Times. His gripping memoir Excommunicated was published by HarperCollins in 2023.  

Craig’s sessions are at 2:15pm on the 19th October and 2:00pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Brethren: Intergenerational harm within the PBCC
In conversation with Lindy Jacomb from the Olive Leaf Network, Craig will explore the intergenerational impact that cults can have on families, and discuss the current positioning of the Exclusive Brethren in New Zealand.

Invisible rainbow youth: purity, conversion and coming out in cults (PANEL)
The panellists will discuss purity culture, homophobia, rainbow rights, conversion therapy and sexual repression in cultic religious environments.

Dr Caroline Ansley

Dr Caroline Ansley is a medical doctor in Christchurch who works as a GP and a clinical leader for Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury and Te Tai o Poutini West Coast, a role which involves advocacy and system change work. As an abuse survivor and former child at Centrepoint, she started the Centrepoint Restoration Project in 2016 and participated in the TVNZ documentary “Heaven and Hell: The Centrepoint Story” in 2021. In 2023 she started the Cult Chat podcast to educate New Zealanders about cults. She is currently developing a clinical guidance which will assist health care workers to recognise and support people affected by cults.

Caroline’s sessions are at 10:50am on the 19th October and 11:40pm on 20 October. Read more.

Health neglect in cults: Medical needs of survivors
The presentation will reveal many of the barriers that cult members can face when trying to get medical care for their health needs, and also some of the challenges that health workers can face in trying to provide optimal and equitable care to this under-served and largely invisible population. 

Kids in cults: From damage and silence to justice and repair (PANEL)
How to make sense of the outside world without a sense of self?
The invisible suffering of children who were born or raised in high-control groups is one of the largest unrecognised public health issues. The panellists discuss how cultic influence throughout a child’s formative years has a lasting impact and results in continued issues even after leaving. They will highlight the specific needs of kids in cults, questioning why these have historically been ignored.

Adam Dudding

Adam Dudding

Adam Dudding is an award-winning podcast producer, journalist and author. In 2022, he and co-producer Eugene Bingham created Stuff’s international hit podcast The Commune, a 12-part investigation into the history and legacy of the notorious Centrepoint commune. Adam’s other podcasts include the true-crime investigation Gone Fishing, the mental health series Out of My Mind and the current affairs series True Story. His 2017 memoir My Father’s Island won Best First Book at the Ockham Book Awards, and he has won numerous feature-writing awards for his reporting for the Sunday Star-Times.

Adam’s sessions are at 10:50am on the 19th October and 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.

Human experiment: The lasting shadow of Centrepoint (PANEL)
Centrepoint was New Zealand’s largest intentional “free love” community and closed in 2000 through legal action. A Massey study from 2010 found that every third child was sexually harmed there. The antipodean outlet of the human potential movement saw two police raids and a dozen people go to jail, also for manufacturing psychedelics which were taken in group experiments with teenagers. Adam will recount the disturbing story of a sex- and therapy cult that turned from utopian dream to collective nightmare.

Kids in cults: From damage and silence to justice and repair (PANEL)
How to make sense of the outside world without a sense of self?
The invisible suffering of children who were born or raised in high-control groups is one of the largest unrecognised public health issues. The panellists discuss how cultic influence throughout a child’s formative years has a lasting impact and results in continued issues even after leaving. They will highlight the specific needs of kids in cults, questioning why these have historically been ignored.

Scott Homan

Scott Homan

US filmmaker Scott Homan was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness in Wisconsin where his teenage music community recorded albums while being influenced by the cult. He studied photography and digital media and now runs Banana Island Films, which was born during his five years in Hanoi, Vietnam. His projects focus on artists escaping cults, demonstrating that self-expression shortens the path to healing. Witness Underground is his first documentary and as a wider project includes the Witness Underground YouTube channel and the series XJW Coming Out.

Witness Underground will have its New Zealand premiere as the opening night for the Decult conference on Friday 18 October at Lumiere Cinemas (more info coming).

Scott’s session is at 2:15pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up (PANEL)
How hard is it to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and how can grief, loss and trauma be transmuted into art and activism? The panel discusses issues from shunning to covering up of paedophilia, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care in New Zealand (which the JWs tried to sue their way out of in the High Court but failed).

Sarah Steel

Sarah Steel is the creator of the podcast Let’s Talk About Sects and the author of Do As I Say, published by Pan Macmillan in 2022. For her work, Sarah has interviewed dozens of former cult members and surveyed hundreds more. She has produced for ABC Radio National’s Earshot and featured in the media as an expert on high-demand organisations. Sarah has convened sold-out panel discussions at Vivid Sydney and Woodford Folk Festival, and her podcast has won an Australian Podcast Award, was an Honoré at the Webby Awards, and has featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and more.

Sarah’s session is at 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.

A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting (PANEL)
Cults are a hot topic – but are we getting the full story? The panellists discuss survivor focussed reporting, common narratives about high demand groups and the challenges for abuse victims going public.

Ekant Veer

Ekant Veer is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Canterbury and a teacher with his work appearing in numerous international journals. As a consumer behaviourist and multi-award winning researcher, his interest are patterns of behaviour that can be used to benefit society. He specifically explores how digital spaces and mainstream settings replicate elements of cult-like behaviour. This understanding of the internet and beyond can help to avoid cult engagement and recruitment.

Ekant’s session is at 1:00pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rabbit holes: Cults, disinformation and online radicalisation (PANEL)
Cultic influence and conspiracy theories – where’s the overlap, and where will it end?
The panellists discuss how cults and conspiracy movements recruit online, what role AI plays in it, and how to get people out of rabbit holes and extremism.

Tore Klevjer

Tore Klevjer is a dedicated victim advocate, consultant and counsellor with a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding cults and their impact on individuals and families. Currently serving as the President of Cult Information Family Support Inc. (CIFS) in Australia, Tore brings a wealth of personal and professional experience, having left the Children of God in 1986. He conducts weekend recovery workshops for ex-members of cults and will be offering mental health support where needed during the conference. 

Tore’s session is at 3:10pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Care and collaboration: Cult victim support organisations
Together with Lindy Jacomb from Olive Leaf Network in New Zealand, he will present their organisations that provide support to leavers of high-demand religious groups and cults. They share what can be done to meet immediate and practical needs, as well as longer-term psychological, mental and social needs – and the limitations on what support entities can offer. The two will discuss the unique opportunities and challenges that can present when providing support to cult leavers.

Ulrike Schiesser

Ulrike Schiesser is a psychologist and psychotherapist and head of the Federal Office for Cult Affairs (Bundesstelle für Sektenfragen) in Vienna. The Austrian government agency deals with the abuse of spirituality and religion, problematic developments in the field of esotericism, personality cults, authoritarian groups and conspiracy theories. It guides people through exit and reorientation, advises concerned family members on communication strategies, and provides supervision and training for the psychosocial field. Ulrike is the co-author of the book Fact and Prejudice: Communication with Esoterics, Fanatics and Conspiracy Believers.

Ulrike’s sessions are at 1:00pm and 3:50pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Insights from a federal cult information agency
The presentation will show the existing structures of cult counselling in Europe, reflect on current developments, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches. 

Rabbit holes: Cults, disinformation and online radicalisation (PANEL)
Cultic influence and conspiracy theories – where’s the overlap, and where will it end?
The panellists discuss how cults and conspiracy movements recruit online, what role AI plays in it, and how to get people out of rabbit holes and extremism.

Luke Hollis

Luke was born and raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, where he endured multiple human rights violations. From covering up his childhood sexual abuse and suppressing his sexuality, the leaders of this organisation took every step to ensure silence and cooperation, and Luke’s health and wellbeing declined to the point of crisis. Entering into the wider world as an adult came with its challenges, including not feeling a part of any culture. Since then, he has utilised his personal experiences, psychology studies and mental-health support systems to encourage others to build autonomy and create positive trajectories by capitalising on their histories.

Since then, he has utilised his personal experiences, psychology studies and mental-health support systems to encourage others to build autonomy. He recently shared his personal story.

Luke’s sessions are at 10:50am on the 19th October and 2:00pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Kids in cults: From damage and silence to justice and repair (PANEL)
How to make sense of the outside world without a sense of self?
The invisible suffering of children who were born or raised in high-control groups is one of the largest unrecognised public health issues. The panellists discuss how cultic influence throughout a child’s formative years has a lasting impact and results in continued issues even after leaving. They will highlight the specific needs of kids in cults, questioning why these have historically been ignored.

Lindy Jacomb

Lindy Jacomb was born into the Exclusive Brethren (Plymouth Brethren). When she left alone at 20, she was excommunicated by her family and the community that had been her whole social environment. Lindy has since become a founding member of the Olive Leaf Network, a charitable entity that provides aid and advocacy for former members of high-demand religious groups. Her organisation offers practical help, including workshops, and facilitates the additional trainings for mental health workers with Decult speaker Gillie Jenkinson after the conference.

Linday’s sessions are at 2:15pm and 4:35pm on the 19th October as well as 3:10 on the 20th October. Read more.

Care and collaboration: Cult victim support organisations
Together with Tore Klevjer from CIFS Australia, she will present their organisations that provide support to leavers of high-demand religious groups and cults. They share what can be done to meet immediate and practical needs, as well as longer-term psychological, mental and social needs – and the limitations on what support entities can offer. The two will discuss the unique opportunities and challenges that can present when providing support to cult leavers.

Cult Survivor Story Jam
Lindy’s picture book “The Little Bird”, which she wrote to work through her grief, will be one of the many artistic expressions showcased in the Survivor Story Jam at Decult where others who have left cultic groups will share a poem, a song, a story or a reflection. This live-streamed open mic for decultivists from all walks of life, hosted by Lindy, showcases an incredible line-up with powerful lived experiences to end the first day of the conference.

Maria Esguerra

Maria is a Brisbane psychologist with her own practice who was born and raised within the Children of God. She escaped at 22 with her two children who have disabilities. Her firsthand experience drives her passion to support fellow survivors of cults and institutions, advocating for specialised understanding, interventions and access to governmental schemes such as Redress. Maria has actively engaged in media and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the challenges faced by those escaping such environments. Additionally, she founded a support group for second and multi-generational survivors (SGAs/MGAs) from all cults. It addresses the devastating impacts from these groups, including abuse, denial of basic rights and forced labour.

Maria’s session is at 10:50am on the 19th October. Read more.

Kids in cults: From damage and silence to justice and repair (PANEL)
How to make sense of the outside world without a sense of self?
The invisible suffering of children who were born or raised in high-control groups is one of the largest unrecognised public health issues. The panellists discuss how cultic influence throughout a child’s formative years has a lasting impact and results in continued issues even after leaving. They will highlight the specific needs of kids in cults, questioning why these have historically been ignored.

Andre Afamasaga

Andre Afamasaga

Andre is a human rights, social cohesion and inclusivity advocate of Samoan heritage (Afega, Fasito’otai) and a popular keynote speaker. Until 2024, he was the senior manager at the NZ Human Rights Commission. As an ex-pastor in the Seventh Day Adventist church, Andre believes that religious leaders should engage with Decult to be educated on preventing religious and spiritual abuse. He is a survivor of conversion practices and was involved with the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022. At Decult, he will be the M.C. and host of the Rainbow panel.

Andre’s session is at 2:00pm on the 20th October. Read more.

Invisible rainbow youth: purity, conversion and coming out in cults (PANEL)
The panellists will discuss purity culture, homophobia, rainbow rights, conversion therapy and sexual repression in cultic religious environments.

Virginia Courage

Virginia Courage is mother to 11 beautiful children and happily married for 24 years. She is of Ngāti Porou descent and lives in Timaru. She and her husband were members of Gloriavale Christian Community for 40 years, leaving in 2019 when they could no longer quiet increasing concerns. Some issues for leaving were mistreatment of members, denial about sexual abuse, and their doubts around Gloriavale’s claims to be a “Christian group”. Since then, she has successfully taken her sexual abuser to court and is now a vocal victim advocate who wants to break the cycle of harm.

Virginia’s session is at 10:05am on the 20th October. Read more.

Courage and action: What to do about Gloriavale? (PANEL)
New Zealand’s homemade Handmaid’s Tale still has its run in the courts for slave labour and sexual abuse while more and more isolated members are leaving in droughts, struggling to adjust on the outside. The panellists discuss how harm can be stopped and the leaders – as well as the government – be held accountable.

Adam Elmasri

Adam is a human rights activist from Australia with an orthodox Coptic christian upbringing in Egypt. As an author and thinker, he critiques religious coercion and supports LGBTQ+ and women’s rights in the Middle East. Through his bilingual YouTube channels, Adam engages a global audience with videos that promote freedom of thought, amassing over 15 million views. His public speeches and digital content have inspired many to embrace authentic lives free from oppressive beliefs. His work includes deep analyses of the New Testament and Islamic traditions. Adam is a committee member of Recovering from Religion and the author of a personal memoir, ‘Wounded by Faith’.

Adam’s session is at 1pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rabbit holes: Cults, disinformation and online radicalisation (PANEL)
Cultic influence and conspiracy theories – where’s the overlap, and where will it end? The panellists discuss how cults and conspiracy movements recruit online, what role AI plays in it, and how to get people out of rabbit holes and extremism.

Dr Nicole Matejic

Nicole is a behavioural economist focussed on national security. She works across both professional practice and in academia to prevent radicalisation to violent extremism and to disengage people from high-demand groups. As an international expert and published author, Nicole takes a holistic approach to how groups can influence and radicalise their followers towards violent extremes. She also examines how technology-enabled influence can impact people’s autonomy and decision-making. Nicole has worked with NATO, contributed to research conducted by the United Nations, and consults globally as a subject-matter expert.

Nicole’s session is at 1pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rabbit holes: Cults, disinformation and online radicalisation (PANEL)
Cultic influence and conspiracy theories – where’s the overlap, and where will it end? The panellists discuss how cults and conspiracy movements recruit online, what role AI plays in it, and how to get people out of rabbit holes and extremism.

Micki McAllen

Micki, known as Apostate Barbie, spent 30 years as a Jehovah’s Witness before having a moment of awakening in October 2020. Following her departure from the tightly controlled religion in February 2021 – still a virgin at 37 years then – she embarked on a journey to rebuild her life from scratch, embracing authenticity, diversity and her sexuality. To educate others, Micki now shares her insights and deconstructs her former faith on TikTok. Her series “Random Things Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Not Allowed To Do” had over two million views, propelling her into the spotlight. As a bisexual woman who grew up in a repressive and sexist environment, Micki is especially dedicated to uplifting the voices of women and LGBTQ+ individuals who have faced similar struggles. She is from Auckland but lives in London.

Micki will give a virtual presentation at the start of the panel Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up.

Shany Kedar

Shany Kedar is a psychotherapist in Israel. In 2021, she published an investigative report about a spiritual healer who had allegedly committed sexual violations of dozens of clients over three decades. It led to a wave of stories shared by women who had been harmed in alternative spiritual communities. Kedar also contributed to a Haaretz article about allegations in the sacred sexuality community in Israel. Following these investigations, Shany created the podcast and 10,000-member Facebook community “What’s Happening in My Therapy?” focusing on and discussing therapeutic ethics.

Mordechai Braunstein

Mordechai Braunstein is a social media expert in Israel who was catapulted into activism after finding out about serial predation in his new-age community. In 2020 he joined forces with friends and created #Itsmyproblem – a viral social media campaign for men against sexual and gender-based violence. It was translated into to six different languages. Together with his partner Shany Kedar, he went on to help expose ISTA (International School of Temple Arts) and stop their influence in Israel.  

Anke Richter

Anke Richter is an international journalist based in Christchurch and the author of four books. “CULT TRIP: Inside the world of coercion & control” was published by HarperCollins in 2022. Over the last ten years, she has reported about high-demand groups across the world for the German and New Zealand media and was a research advisor on cult documentaries such as “Angie” and “Heaven and Hell: The Centrepoint Story” (TVNZ). Anke is the founder and director of Decult and also a co-founder of FACT (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories) Aotearoa.

Dennis Parker

Dennis Parker works in governance and consulting roles for social enterprises, charities and non-profits, with wide management experience in business, tertiary education, central government and NGOs. He has an MA in sociology and is a chartered member of the NZ Institute of Directors. Dennis is the Decult business manager and Chair of the Decult Trust. Raising cult awareness is important to him because of his personal experience inside high demand groups as a young adult.
 

Dame Sue Bagshaw

Dame Sue Bagshaw is a youth health doctor who set up the youth one-stop-shop model now known as Te Tahi Youth in Christchurch which offers young people free health care and counselling. She is also a senior lecturer in paediatrics at the University of Otago in Christchurch, the chair of the Youth Hub Trust and a trustee for the Collaborative for Research and Training in Youth Health and Development, which she founded. She serves on the board of the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust which her husband Phil Bagshaw established in 2007.

Dame Sue will be opening the second day of Decult.

Dave Booda

Dave Booda is a former U.S. Naval Officer turned writer, musician and social entrepreneur in San Diego where he serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Intentional Community. He is a founding member of 3SC (Safer Spiritual & Sex-Positive Communities) which has worked and mediated with ISTA (International School of Temple Arts) over 18 months to improve protocols and prevent harm. Dave has organised TEDx events and now facilitates community festivals and experimental workshops around the world. His over 200 essays are published on his Boodaism blog.

Dave will be presenting at 10:05am on Sunday 20 October. View more on the programme.

Issues with ISTA, high on Highden: From LGAT to mystery school
What’s a mystery school, and what’s an LGAT? And is ISTA – the controversial “International School of Temple Arts” – a sex cult? Together with Bronwyn Rideout, he will address allegations of harm in the “conscious sexuality” scene, the dynamics of large group awareness trainings (LGAT) like landmark, and whether a problematic movement can be reformed.

Ursula Cheer

Ursula is a Professor (Faculty of Law) at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, specialising in media law, defamation and privacy. She is the author of Burrows and Cheer: Media Law in New Zealand and a member of the editorial committee of the Journal of Media Law and Media & Arts Law Review with the Melbourne Law School in Australia.

Ursula’s session is at 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.

A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting (PANEL)
Cults are a hot topic – but are we getting the full story? The panellists discuss survivor focussed reporting, common narratives about high demand groups and the challenges for abuse victims going public.

Danny de Hek

Danny is a crypto scam satirist in Christchurch who has lived through profound personal tragedies that he believes were caused by the Jehovah’s Witness organisation. His stepfather and sister died by suicide. Both were unable to live up to the high standards the religion demanded. Danny was disfellowshipped at 23. The emotional and psychological toll of being shunned left him feeling lost, isolated, and struggling with suicidal thoughts. Over time, he transformed his pain into purpose, becoming a vocal critic and activist dedicated to exposing the harmful practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses on his blog, YouTube channel and podcast.

Danny’s session is at 2:15pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up (PANEL)
How hard is it to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and how can grief, loss and trauma be transmuted into art and activism? The panel discusses issues from shunning to covering up of paedophilia, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care in New Zealand (which the JWs tried to sue their way out of in the High Court but failed).

Lara Kaput​

Lara is an international activist from Australia. As a former Jehovah’s Witnesses whistleblower, she is working for children to be protected from the cult she was raised in. Since 2016, she has provided information – in written submissions and in person – to law enforcement agencies, government bodies, politicians, inquiries, royal commissions, law firms and the media in relation to Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watch Tower Society. For the last six years, Lara was involved with the victim advocacy group Say Sorry.

Lara’s session is at 1:15pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up (PANEL)
How hard is it to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and how can grief, loss and trauma be transmuted into art and activism? The panel discusses issues from shunning to covering up of paedophilia, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care in New Zealand (which the JWs tried to sue their way out of in the High Court but failed).

Hon Dr Duncan Webb

Hon Dr Duncan Webb

Hon Dr Duncan Webb has been the MP for Christchurch Central since 2017. A former Professor of Law and partner at Lane Neave, Duncan has a strong interest in social justice and stood for Parliament after his experience acting for homeowners and businesses struggling after the Canterbury earthquakes. Duncan is a former Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Minister of State Owned Enterprises, and is the current Opposition spokesperson for justice. He has addressed Gloriavale in Parliament in March 2024.

Hon Dr Duncan Webb will be opening the Decult conference.
Natalie Malcon

Natalie Malcon

Natalie Malcon is an award-winning documentary maker based in Gisborne. She has made films about New Zealand’s two most notorious cults, Centrepoint (Heaven and Hell: The Centrepoint Story, 2021) and most recently, Gloriavale (Escaping Utopia, 2024). Both projects became ‘cult hits’ for state broadcaster TVNZ, exposing to a wide New Zealand audience the truth about life inside the two communities, with a particular focus on the children who were raised inside them.
 
Natalie’s session is at 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.
 
A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting (PANEL)
Cults are a hot topic – but are we getting the full story? The panellists discuss survivor focussed reporting, common narratives about high demand groups and the challenges for abuse victims going public.
Shayne Mechen

Shayne Mechen

Shayne lives in Palmerston North and grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. He went to his first meeting when he was four days old and was baptised at 15. Later he was a JW elder for 12 years. When he left at the age of 42, it took him seven more years to wake up and understand their detrimental influence on his life and that of others. Shayne is now supporting former Jehovah’s Witnesses and educating the public about them through social media groups and videos. He has helped with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care.
 
Shayne’s session is at 2:15pm on the 19th October. Read more.
 
Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up (PANEL)
How hard is it to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and how can grief, loss and trauma be transmuted into art and activism? The panel discusses issues from shunning to covering up of paedophilia, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care in New Zealand (which the JWs tried to sue their way out of in the High Court but failed).
Ciaran Fox

Ciaran Fox

Ciaran Fox is a Public Health specialist, arts advocate and poet. He has over 25 years’ experience in health promotion, community engagement and culture work, including the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, and contributed to the world-leading, post-earthquake mental wellbeing campaign All Right? (2012-20). He is a member of the global working group on mental health promotion with the International Union of Health Promotion & Education (IUHPE) and a member of the Global Leadership Exchange (school-based mental health initiatives).

Ciaran will be the MC for the break-out sessions (Spark room) at Decult.

Dhyana Levey

Dhyana grew up on a theosophical commune in the United States. She is a media consultant and founder of Cult Media Messaging, a service for people going public who’ve had experiences with high-demand groups. Dhyana also produces and hosts the podcast Generation Cult with a focus on those who grew up in these groups. For her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control from the University of Salford, she researched the media’s relationship with cult leavers. Dhyana has worked as a newspaper reporter in California and Cambodia.

Dhyana’s session is at 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.

A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting (PANEL)
Cults are a hot topic – but are we getting the full story? The panellists discuss survivor focussed reporting, common narratives about high demand groups and the challenges for abuse victims going public. Dhyana will give a virtual contribution.

Bec Sonkkila

Bec is a life coach and therapist in Melbourne and Helsinki. As a former member of the esoteric yoga tantra cult MISA from Romania, she testified in police investigations leading to the arrest of guru Gregorian Bivolaru in France in 2023. He is now awaiting trial on charges including human trafficking, kidnapping and rape, with separate legal actions pending in Finland and the UK. Rebecca has also participated in a German podcast and upcoming BBC documentary dedicated to the exposure of MISA as a criminal organization. Sharing her story of grooming, manipulation and legal action at Decult, and the mental and physical toll it took on her, will be her first public appearance on the topic.

Bec will be presenting sessions at 11:30am on the 19th October and 11:40am on 20 October. Read more.

Toxic tantra: Surviving and suing MISA’s yoga guru
Bec will share her story of grooming, manipulation and legal action, and the mental and physical toll it took on her.

Pearl Valor

Pearl Valor was born in Gloriavale and left in December 2021 with her husband and five children. She is passionate about advocating for the rights of the women born and raised in Gloriavale. She is a plaintiff in the current multi-million-dollar slavery law suit against the cult (and government agencies). Pearl also featured in the TVNZ documentary “Escaping Utopia”. 

Ursula’s session is at 10:05am on the 20th October. Read more.

Courage and action: What to do about Gloriavale? (PANEL)
New Zealand’s homemade Handmaid’s Tale still has its run in the courts for slave labour and sexual abuse while more and more isolated members are leaving in droughts, struggling to adjust on the outside. The panellists discuss how harm can be stopped and the leaders – as well as the government – be held accountable.

Rachel Lees

Rachel Lees is an award-winning New Zealand writer in Tauranga and the author of “Sacred Grooming”. The online memoir details her experience of being hand selected at 20 and groomed over years by American fundamentalist cult leader Bill Gothard of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). As one of the whistle-blowers which led to the downfall of the Christo-fascist organisation and resignation of the leader, and then filing a lawsuit against Gothard in 2015, Rachel withstood many personal attacks against her. She is finally pursuing her academic education in the Social Sciences to write and speak more on predatory grooming and the healing that comes from the pursuit of justice.

Ursula’s session is at 1:35pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Groomed by Bill Gothard: Taking IBLP’s leader to court
Rachel will speak about predatory grooming and the healing that comes from the pursuit of justice.

Paula Penfold

Leading investigative journalist Paula Penfold from Stuff has covered numerous stories in the cult and disinformation sphere, including a decade of reporting on Gloriavale, and more recently Infinite Evil, an examination of the role of 8Chan in the wake of the Christchurch massacre. She exposed Advance NZ leader Billy Te Kahika in the 2020 doco False Profit, followed by her award winning 2022 exposé Fire and Fury about the forces behind the Wellington parliamentary protest, and this year, The Long Game, a documentary investigating decades of Chinese Communist Party interference in New Zealand. She’s a firm believer in the power of media to shed light in these dark spaces. Paula will host the panel about disinformation, AI, radicalisation and online recruitment at Decult.

Anusha Bradley

Anusha Bradley is an award-winning investigative reporter for RNZ based in Hawke’s Bay. She spent much of 2023 reporting on the Jehovah’s Witnesses examining the religion’s impact of shunning on members who leave, the policies and practices around the reporting of child sexual abuse and its bid to be excluded from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Her previous investigations into ACC birthing injuries led to law changes and her work has been recognised at the Voyager Media Awards, NZ Radio Awards and New York Festival Radio Awards. Anusha will be hosting the Decult panel with former Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Anusha’s sessions are at 2:15pm on the 19th October and 11:40am on the 20th October. Read more.

Rock the Watchtower: Former Jehovah’s Witnesses speak up (PANEL)
How hard is it to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and how can grief, loss and trauma be transmuted into art and activism? The panel discusses issues from shunning to covering up of paedophilia, and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care in New Zealand (which the JWs tried to sue their way out of in the High Court but failed).

A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting (PANEL)
Cults are a hot topic – but are we getting the full story? The panellists discuss survivor focussed reporting, common narratives about high demand groups and the challenges for abuse victims going public.

Sunita Torrance

Sunita is a drag performer, LGBTQ+ ally and creator of Rainbow Storytime in Aotearoa. She was brought up as a Christian and has family ties to Hinduism and Judaism. Her business and shows have been affected greatly by the actions of Destiny Church. She is currently navigating a large-scale legal battle against Brian Tamaki’s group.

Sunita will be a virtual speaker over Zoom.

Dennis Gates

Dennis was a general practitioner based in Whangaparaoa for most of his career, providing basic services to the local community. Working with Fair Go and barrister Brian Henry, he recovered the homes of families that had been lost to insidious “Buy Back” schemes. After selling his practice in 2012 and later resigning from law, Dennis regained his practicing certificate as a barrister to assist those that had left Gloriavale and those still trapped inside. Since more than four years he has offered his legal support and raised his voice in the media.

Dennis’ session is at 10:05am on the 20th October. Read more.

Courage and action: What to do about Gloriavale? (PANEL)
New Zealand’s homemade Handmaid’s Tale still has its run in the courts for slave labour and sexual abuse while more and more isolated members are leaving in droughts, struggling to adjust on the outside. The panellists discuss how harm can be stopped and the leaders – as well as the government – be held accountable.

Stephen Judd

Stephen is the president of InternetNZ and the spokesperson for Fight Against Conspiracy Theories Aotearoa (FACT), a grassroots organisation that seeks to combat harmful conspiracy theories. In this role he has become deeply immersed in the world of misinformation and disinformation. Stephen is also a technologist, a musician and a capoeirista, with a long career in internet technologies, and involvement in online news publishing and politics. He lives at an undisclosed location with his partner and an extremely violent cat.

Stephen’s session is at 1:00pm on the 19th October. Read more.

Rabbit holes: Cults, disinformation and online radicalisation (PANEL)
Cultic influence and conspiracy theories – where’s the overlap, and where will it end? The panellists discuss how cults and conspiracy movements recruit online, what role AI plays in it, and how to get people out of rabbit holes and extremism.

Ryan Boswell

Ryan Boswell has worked across television and radio in New Zealand and overseas for two decades. He has been reporting for TVNZ since 2013, where he’s contributed to shows such as 1 News, Breakfast, Q&A, and Seven Sharp. Ryan will host the Gloriavale panel at Decult.

Ryan’s session is at 10:05am on the 20th October. Read more.

Courage and action: What to do about Gloriavale? (PANEL)
New Zealand’s homemade Handmaid’s Tale still has its run in the courts for slave labour and sexual abuse while more and more isolated members are leaving in droughts, struggling to adjust on the outside. The panellists discuss how harm can be stopped and the leaders – as well as the government – be held accountable.

Bronwyn Rideout

Bronwyn Rideout is a Wellington midwife and a PhD student at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice. As a leading member of the NZ Skeptics and co-host of their podcast “Yeah, Nah”, Bronwyn has extensively researched high-demand groups and obscure organisations. What started as a one-off article for the NZ Skeptics newsletter morphed into a multi-year study into Highden Temple near Palmerston North and its founder Bruce Lyon. His mystery school is closely linked to the controversial ISTA movement (International School of Temple Arts) that has come under scrutiny in New Zealand and around the world.

Bronwyn’s session is at 10:05am on the 20th October. Read more.

Issues with ISTA, high on Highden: From LGAT to mystery school
What’s a mystery school, and what’s an LGAT? And is ISTA – the controversial “International School of Temple Arts” – a sex cult? Together with Dave Booda, she will address allegations of harm in the “conscious sexuality” scene, the dynamics of large group awareness trainings (LGAT) like landmark, and whether a problematic movement can be reformed.

Laura McConnell Conti

Laura is a victim advocate (and a Chartered Accountant by trade). She was a fifth-generation follower of The Truth in Australia and left them when she was 19. She experienced shunning, spiritual coercive control and family violence. The Truth is a highly secretive fundamentalist Christian group which claims to have no name and no earthly building (also known as the Two-by-Twos/2×2/church with no name). It highly controls sexuality, gender and the behaviour of women and girls. The high-control group has endemic levels of child sexual abuse, sexual assault and family violence which they have covered up for generations. They are also operating in New Zealand. There is now an FBI investigation in the United States.

www.lauramcconnell.com.au

Laura’s session is at 1:00pm on the 19th October. Read more.

The truth about The Truth: Secrets and cover-ups of the 2x2s
The presentation will unveil the secrecy of the “sect without a name”, including their investigation by the FBI, the recent arrest of a minister in New Zealand, and their refusal to sign the Australian Redress Scheme for abuse survivors.

Laura Muir

Laura is an ex-member of Shincheonji where she was heavily involved for five years. Since leaving, she completed a Graduate Diploma in Psychology and now works as an HR analyst in Christchurch. Laura is passionate about raising awareness about high control groups and coercive control so that others can identify the warning signs of these groups and protect themselves from harm and recruitment.

Laura’s session is at 10:50am on the 19th October. Read more.

Bible study with a hook: Shincheonji’s recruitment
Laura will share the story of her recruitment into the deceptive Korean bible cult, shedding light on her own journey as well as the tactics she used to ensnare others. Sharing her recovery story, she will delve into the challenges of rebuilding her life and the struggle to find understanding in therapy while feeling disconnected upon reintegration into society.

Spiritual Abuse

What is spiritual abuse?

Spiritual abuse occurs when religious or spiritual beliefs are manipulated to control, frighten or harm someone. It can silence questioning, enforce submission and exploit faith for power. Survivors often face deep emotional and psychological scars.

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