BOB McCOSKRIE: ARISE FROM THE ASHES – The Untold Details

The allegations made against Arise Church were very serious. What happened to all of these allegations? WE ASKED. You may be surprised by the outcomes. Or maybe you won't......

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” – Proverbs 18:17

On the 14 April 2022, the NZ Herald reported:

Two reviews are underway at a large pentecostal church after interns on a ministry school course claimed they were “overworked, overwhelmed and taken advantage of” by leadership. An independent reviewer has been appointed to hear how a number of former students of the Arise Church Ministry School have been left negatively impacted through their experience. It is running alongside an HR review by a law firm to examine the ministry school... The Arise Board said while an independent HR review was due to start after Easter given the serious nature of some of the allegations levelled against the school the board had also now appointed a separate reviewer.

This all started with an article by LGBT activist David Farrier alleging abuse (overworking/exploitation) of interns on April 3.

It is significant that:

• David Farrier had been vocal against the conversion therapy law which had just been passed through Parliament. (He has also been a strong campaigner against Bethlehem College and has pressured both the school and the Ministry of Education to force the school to compromise its values).

• Arise Church had spoken against the ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Bill, and their leadership had attended a church leader's meeting that I was also present at and where I presented an analysis of the flaws of the bill, and a strategy for opposing the bill.

• Because of the campaign by Farrier against megachurches including Hillsong, Life, City Impact and then specifically Arise [The Downward Spiral of Arise Church: Part I, The Downward Spiral of Arise Church: Part 2, The Downward Spiral of Arise Church: Part 3] complainants went to Farrier – and not to the church (Matthew 18).

1News also led with the story:

One of New Zealand’s biggest mega-churches is launching an independent external review after accusations of mistreatment towards interns and volunteers. 1News has spoken to several who describe feeling used by ARISE Church, eventually leaving “burned out”. “Mentally, and physically, you’re pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion,” one former volunteer said, who had been with the church for more than a decade.

In August, taxpayer-funded Radio NZ reported:

Allegations of racism, sexual assault, homophobia, bullying and actively discouraging victims from going to the police are contained in a leaked copy of an investigation into Arise Church….

The review team heard accounts of what people faced following sexual assault, harassment or rape. “Sometimes these incidents occurred within the person’s life outside Arise but we also heard of incidents at the hands of other Arise members or staff.”

The allegations made against Arise Church were very serious.

Sexual misconduct, sexual grooming, underage relationships, rape, racism, homophobia, body shaming, sexism, mental health stigma, bulling, ageism, financial mismanagement, and more.

What happened to all of these allegations?

WE ASKED.

We used the Official Information Act to ask every statutory agency and government body who would have been involved with Arise Church what the outcomes were.

NZ POLICE

We asked the NZ Police in August 2024 for ALL correspondence, complaints received, investigations done and outcomes related to ARISE CHURCH since the beginning of 2022.

They responded:

"I can find no record of investigations or outcomes concerning the substance of your request."

Not even ONE complaint, and NO investigations.

Not a single complaint made to the Police about claims of “sexual grooming, underage relationships, sexual harassment, assault or rape, indecent exposure” – despite one of the reviewers acting as a conduit for complainants to contact the NZ Police.

INTERNAL AFFAIRS (CHARITIES SERVICES)

"I am writing to advise you that the Department of Internal Affairs, Charities Services, have closed our Investigation into Arise Church ( ), registration number CC30589.

Our investigation did not find sufficient evidence to determine an ongoing breach of the Charities Act."

Charities Services did ask for policies and procedures to be put in place around financial management, health and safety and governance obligations – policies which it would be good for all churches and charities to be aware of.

But after an investigation over more than a year, there was NO evidence of criminal offending, misuse of funds or gross mismanagement.

ORANGA TAMARIKI

“Following a thorough search of our records, including our Feedback and Complaint records and our case management system (CYRAS) records, we have been unable to locate any correspondence, complaints, or investigations related to Arise Church.”

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

“In response to your request, we confirm that the Commission has not received any enquiries or complaints between 1 January 2022 and 19 July 2024 (being the date of your updated request) which mention the term “Arise Church”. We also confirm that the Commission does not hold any reports which mention Arise Church during this period."

MINISTER FOR THE COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR / SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

We asked the Minister for all correspondence received and sent, (and related documentation), to and by the sitting Minister of Justice and the office regarding Arise Church from January 2022, including any reports / updates from MBIE. Her response:

"Your request for this information is refused… as this document does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found."

MINISTER OF JUSTICE

"The Ministry has undertaken a search for correspondence within the scope of your request and has not identified any information."

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

Due to the existence of Arise Ministry School, we asked for all correspondence, complaints received, investigations done and outcomes related to ARISE CHURCH. Their response (via email):

"An email search has been undertaken, and we have not identified any information in scope of your request."

MBIE

This is the only outstanding issue.

According to MBIE:

“The Labour Inspectorate currently has an active case in the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) who directed the parties to mediation last year. While resolution was not achieved at mediation, discussions with a view to resolution have been ongoing since then. The process is taking time due to the number of interns involved and the complexity of the facts and legal issues.”

Our understanding is this relates to the definition of internships.

Any organisation providing internships, including the media, must ensure that working conditions meet standards set by New Zealand law (particularly those to do with NZ employment law, plus health & safety in the workplace). The intern is making a sacrifice (of not being paid) in return for gaining valuable experience.

Ultimately it’s for them to decide if they are gaining enough valuable experience to compensate for their lack of income. They must also consider the workplace and culture, whether it’s fit for purpose.

To be clear – reviewing an organisation’s approach to worker / volunteer wellbeing is not a bad thing IF there is exploitation and unrealistic expectations of workers.

WORKSAFE NEW ZEALAND

Worksafe issued a chart and letter:

A Provisional Improvement Notice (PIN) is a written notice requiring a person (the duty holder) to address a health and safety matter that is contravening, or is likely to contravene, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) or regulations.

This “Improvement Notice… was complied with in just four months.

Of interest in the above documentation is

• 3 complaints about bullying, physical & sexual assault, exploitation of staff – on the same day! Was this coordinated by David Farrier?

• One alleged physical & sexual assault. The other two simply pointed to media reports!

• Despite the serious allegation and complaint, NZ Police had no resulting notification. No further evidence was provided by complainants when asked for it. No further investigation of the allegations.

• The review found what they would find at many charities. Lax H&S policy. No training. No controls. Little reporting to board.

CONCLUSION

Very serious allegations were made against the Arise Church which troubled us all – but they were only ever ‘allegations’.

And many of the allegations were made in the media – which we should always be very wary of.

After reading the official documentation above, has it changed your perception or understanding of what actually occurred?

I finish where I started:

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” – Proverbs 18:17

This is an abridged version of a post from the blog of Bob McCoskrie who has a MCom(Hons) from Auckland University & Diploma in Teaching. He has been involved in education, community work & media. In 2006 he established Family First NZ, one of the most prominent social conservative lobby groups in NZ.