Healing Through Whakapapa: Survivors of Religious Abuse Reconnect with Te Ao Māori

Survivors of religious abuse are highlighting the power of cultural reconnection as a tool for healing and identity. Valiant Overcomer (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe) and a woman known as Anahera (Tainui) shared their journeys with Te Ao Māori News, detailing how returning to their Māori roots helped them navigate life after exiting Gloriavale and Destiny Church. Overcomer, who left the Gloriavale community at the age of 14, described the profound impact of finally connecting with his taha Māori. Growing up in a predominantly Pākehā environment, he told Te Ao Māori News he felt the weight of isolation and was cut off from his language and iwi. It was not until he was 19 that he participated in a Ngāi Tahu programme designed to connect rangatahi back to their marae. He described the experience as profound, noting that he felt a sense of "true love" and belonging that aligned with the values he had been taught but had not previously experienced. For Overcomer, engaging with pūrākau Māori provided answers to spiritual questions that had remained unanswered within his former community. He explained that his faith has evolved, and he now views the "imaginary space" of the mind and the breadth of creation as his definition of God. He is now settled with his iwi and speaks the Ngāi Tahu dialect, crediting te ao Māori with shaping his current sense of identity. This Saturday, October 24, 2026, Overcomer will join other survivors and experts at the DECULT 2026 conference. The event aims to bring Indigenous experiences to the forefront of discussions regarding cults and religious abuse. Anahera, whose real name is withheld, also shared her four-year journey of exiting Destiny Church in 2017, emphasizing that despite the hardships of leaving family members behind, there is a way forward through cultural reclamation.