Changes

The Cooperites are a small religious sect on the South Island of [[New Zealand]]. They were founded in the 1960's by an Australian, Neville Cooper, who in 1994 was jailed for 5 years for indecent assault. The community is a self-sufficient farming community in which contact with the outside world is greatly restricted. The group hold very strict conservative moral values. Women wear blue dresses and head coverings, and men wear ties. There is a strong emphasis on sexual purity. Both men and women marry as young teenagers, and very large families are the norm. There are about 400 members, half of whom are children. Those who leave the community are shunned and denied contact with their family that remains in the community. The organisation runs a number of financially successful businesses and runs its own airline.