The Commune – Episode 9: "That Feeling of Helplessness"

Podcast by Stuff Audio | Air Date: June 5, 2022
A 12-part investigative podcast about Centrepoint, New Zealand's most infamous free-love commune—a story not of "whodunnit", but "whydunnit".

Overview

In this powerful and confronting episode (#9) titled “That Feeling of Helplessness,” Stuff Audio unpacks the chaotic fallout as police finally descend on the Centrepoint commune after years of mounting allegations. Through firsthand accounts and court records, the episode details the major 1991 police raids, the unmasking of sexual abuse and drug crimes, and the psychological dynamics that left many residents—especially children—feeling utterly powerless. It’s a harrowing look at how the commune’s open, utopian ideals mutated into secrecy, exploitation, and trauma. The tone is investigative and empathetic, weaving together survivor voices, police testimony, and the broader community’s reckoning.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Raids: The Commune Comes Crashing Down

• Early 1990s raids: For many, the first jarring awakening was police helicopters, dogs, and officers flooding Centrepoint in the early morning hours. (01:12–03:00)
  • Notable quote: “2:30, 3:00 in the morning with the choppers flying around, banging on the door…” – Adam [01:18]
  • “Police in the room.” – Barry [01:23]
• Atmosphere of shock: Residents describe bewilderment and adrenaline as they're corralled together (kitchen/dining room), suddenly treated as suspects. (04:55–06:33)
  • Renee's reflection: “And instantly I’m naked and defiant as fuck. Instantly I'm like, fuck off. I’m not getting dressed in front of a guy...” [05:04]
• Major May 1991 raid: The biggest raid (130 officers) was now about much more than drugs—it was about wide-ranging child sexual abuse. (06:33–07:00)

2. The Sexual Abuse Unveiled

• Decades of secrecy implode: With Bert Potter jailed in 1989 for drugs, former loyalties crumbled—more victims came forward, leading to trials. (07:00–10:13)
• Graphic, corroborated testimony: Girls aged 3–15 gave evidence of systematic abuse, psychological manipulation, and complicity by adults (Potter, his wife Margaret, other commune members). (15:36–22:50)
  • Courtroom horror: “She gave evidence that one time she had sex with Potter in front of a group therapy session. Breaking down in tears, she told the court she did it to prove to everyone that she was open, because that was what was expected of her.” – Adam [15:50]
  • “It was like being in an alcoholic family and being embarrassed about what was going on at home. You do not tell other people.” – Survivor testimony [19:18]
• Culture of normalization: “Potter would say that parents should initiate sexual practices with their children from birth by tickling their genitals and, quote, blowing them off from birth.” – Adam [21:36]
  • Angie: “Sometimes you would walk past the baby changing room and you’d hear the blowing off sound and you’d think, what the fuck…" [22:50]

3. Drugs at Centrepoint: Far Beyond “Chemical Enlightenment”

• Drug syndicate revealed: Centrepoint wasn’t just about LSD and mushrooms for “spirituality” – it was a major drug operation, including a laboratory producing LSD and possibly MDMA (Ecstasy). (10:52–13:26)
  • Detective Ray: “They had a paper machine… They would make sheets of LSD… then impregnate that with the liquid, dry it and then sell it.” [11:32]
• Money laundering: A complex system of fake bank accounts managed by select insiders. (12:00–13:15)
  • Ray: “There were several hundred thousands of dollars going through those accounts… It would be withdrawn almost the next day. So they had a team of people going around emptying the ATM machines, getting the cash.” [13:00]
  • Notable moment: When Ray reveals he has photographic proof to a suspect: “He just went white and Ryan looked at me and he said, ‘Well, that’s him fucked.’” [14:08]

4. The Descent into Abuse and the Struggle to Escape

• Growing realization and helplessness: Residents, especially women like Barry, experienced years of “gut feelings” and attempts to change the culture from within before finally reaching their breaking point. (31:55–34:20)
  • Barry: “It was pouring with rain. I just howled. Nobody could hear me. And it was just like, this is it. I’ve got to get out of here… Don’t know how I’m going to do it, I’ve got to get out of here.” [32:09]
  • When Barry calls out abuse at a community meeting, she’s threatened by Bert’s “henchmen.” [33:01–33:26]
• Leaving a cult is like escaping prison: Barry and others describe confusion and dislocation—a matter of mere survival in the outside world. [34:03]

5. Justice—And Injustice—Through the Courts

• Many trials, varying outcomes:
  • Bert Potter: Convicted for drug and sex offences; received cumulative sentences exceeding 10 years. (37:53–39:13)
    • Judge's words: “I ask myself whether you simply have very little self-insight… or whether you are just an evil and hypocritical man.” – sentencing [44:20]
  • Others: Multiple members convicted; some received jail time, others fines or community service depending on plea and connections. Injustice and variable accountability are a running theme. [36:09–36:44]
• Was Centrepoint destroyed? Despite half the community leaving, some residents remained in denial, and the commune lingered on. [39:37–40:22]

6. Psychological Manipulation: “You Do Not See Things Very Clearly”

• Manipulation and rationalization: Former members reflect on how abuse persisted because Centrepoint’s ideology redefined sexual boundaries itself as a kind of “therapy,” convincing victims and bystanders there was nothing wrong. (24:51–28:22)
  • Angie: “I survived there by becoming the best concubine… Just like a goddess, you know? But there were still moments when it just wasn’t right.” [24:31–24:43]
  • Adam: “In retrospect, how much of what happened to you sexually at Centrepoint do you now consider to have been abusive?” [28:14]
  • Angie, moved: “Probably what happened with Bert in that therapy room… I hadn’t really thought about that, but probably that.” [28:22]
• Peter Calder, journalist and ex-resident: “I unconditionally and unreservedly revile the sexual abuse that went on… even when it wasn’t technically illegal, because of the deep power imbalance…” [29:26–30:16]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the pressure to conform:
  • “There’s so much pressure for sex, I became a sexual robot. I don’t feel I had the choice any of the times because of the pressure, not because I was locked in a room…but because I felt pressed.” – Complainant D [18:52]
• How control collapsed after the first arrest:
  • “All of a sudden we were getting a lot more people coming forward.” – Detective Ray [03:41]
• Bert Potter on guilt and manipulation:
  • “Much easier to do something really naughty and then feel guilty about it… you feel less guilty the second time. After a few times, you know it becomes old hat and it’s no big deal at all.” – Bert Potter [39:10–39:13]
• On institutional self-preservation and isolation:
  • “It was like being in an alcoholic family… you do not tell other people.” – Unnamed mother/survivor [19:18]

Major Segment Timestamps

• Police Raid Experiences: 01:12–06:33
• Sex Abuse Trials: Evidence & Testimony: 15:36–22:50
• Drug Syndicate Unmasked: 10:52–14:46
• Personal Stories (Angie, Renee): 23:12–28:22
• Barry’s Escape: 31:55–34:20
• Reflections on Justice, Guilt, and Denial: 37:53–39:37

Reflections, Consequences, and Legacy

• Centrepoint’s “utopia” was thoroughly exposed as a site of systematic abuse and crime, enabled by secrecy, manipulation, and a warped group culture.
• Even as legal consequences fell, many survivors and former members struggled for years with the psychological legacy of what they’d endured—and what they’d been made by the community to accept as normal.
• The episode closes with chilling commentary on the durability of cultic influences and the need for courage to confront systemic denial.

[Content warning: Strong language, drug use, and graphic descriptions of sexual abuse throughout.]