The controversial religious community Gloriavale has a new head, Howard Temple.
The retired US navy engineer replaces Hopeful Christian, who died in May.
Stuff reported Mr Temple, who was formally called Howard Smitherman, is the new Overseeing Shepherd.
Shortly after Christian died Newshub’s Patrick Gower told the AM Show a battle was developing for control of the community and its $40 million business empire.
- Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian dies aged 92
- Two Gloriavale members kicked out for mobile phones
"Fervent Stedfast, the current second-in-charge, effectively runs Gloriavale. [He's] quite an elderly man as well as one of the shepherds there. He's the person that you deal with. He wants control.
"But he is in a battle with another shepherd, my sources tell me, Howard Temple.
"He is the overseeing shepherd designate. He is the person that everyone believes was meant to take over. He is the person Hopeful Christian said would take over."
Gower says the question is "not only whether they can control Gloriavale as a religious organisation".
"It's got a $40 million asset base. There's a battle for control of that as well."
In May, Gower obtained a copy of 'What We Believe', a document everyone in Gloriavale signed.
It said: "I give the Overseeing Shepherd of our Church communities the absolute and unfettered right to use all the property, assets and money of the Christian Church Community Trust."
The leader will have an "absolute and unfettered right" to Gloriavale's business interests which range from dairy farming, aviation and moss-picking to oil exploration.
Christian, who changed his name from Neville Cooper decades ago, was a convicted sex offender.
He was sentenced to five years in prison in 1995, after being found guilty of three charges of indecently assaulting Yvette Olsen at the Springbank Christian Community, an earlier incarnation of Gloriavale close to Christchurch.
Newshub
