Outside those predescribed business interests, being pestered by their aggressive sales tactics & reading about their on-running battles with Unions in the Newspapers - the religious or philosophical side of Z.A.P remains an enigma - to all but its members.
Whilst the name Z.A.P was familiar to most people in Christchurch,their inner working were a mystery & still largely are, even to this day.
Mentioning the name John Dalhoff in local social circles, would solicit blank faces.
Zenith Applied Philosophy was a creation of John Dalhoff.
John Eric Dalholff (1944-2001) was born in
Dalholf returned to
He said of Scientology in a 1970 interview in the Canterbury Student Magazine ‘Canta’ that “the ultimate aim is total choice”. “To me that is more real freedom – there is nothing wrong with being a garbage man, but one should be free to choose to be a garbage man – not to hold the position by force of circumstances”.
Dalhoff’s dalliances with Scientology proved some-what brief, on
The official reasons for this expulsion were given as “a failure to comply with Scientology’s ethical codes”.
In 1980, Liesa Collins, the public affairs officer for Scientology in New Zealand disclaimed any association between the two, but agreed there were similarities in the methodology both groups employed soliciting members & the respective course content (Christchurch Press May 14th )
Collins went on to say “Mr Dalhoff was doing his own thing”.
His own thing appears, in places, to include a large a dollop of plagiarism (refer
The similarities between the courses Dalhoff began running, under the banner of Zenith Applied Philosophy and those of Scientology were enough for consumer complaints to be issued in the media (Kevin McGuire, Christchurch Star, 4th November 1977). McGuire was adamant the $350 Z.A.P course in communications, was virtually the same as the $50 Scientology one he’d completed in
As it turns-out Hot Press Print was run by Gerald Henry, a man with a very chequered & colourful business career, including spells in jail, taking The Bank of New Zealand for NZD15.5 million in 1988, and once jumping out of the side door of his Lear Jet in an effort to escape creditors. The plane was on the tarmac at the time. Henry's business dealings also appear to have been too 'hot' for Z.A.P - they booted him out in the mid 1980's.
McGuire also provided the public with some of the first reports about what was going-on behind down the leafy driveway at Z.A.P headquarters, John and Joy Dalhoff’s large two-storey house at
A subsequent local public affairs officer for the N.Z Church of Scientology, Mr B. Gibson, categorised Z.A.P as a “hotch spotch with quite a few ideas of Mr Dalhoff thrown in”.
The Herald Newspaper [14/01/82] more forthright, telling it’s readers “Z.A.P is far from being a religious sect, though some of it’s ideas were taken from the Church of Scientology which says it expelled Mr Dalhoff in 1972”.
Clearly the parting between Dalhoff and The Church of Scientology was not on ‘talking terms’.
“John is a very imposing figure and he is often viewed by students of Z.A.P as a later-day Jesus. He has a tremendous aura about him and when he speaks everyone listens” [Anonymous ex member quote in New Zealand Times 1984]
“Buddha talked about attaining enlightenment, Jesus talked about being the son of God, but no one has talked about attaining the Ultimate state. This has now been attained here at the centre of the universe, despite the fact some think that if anyone ever attained it they would be mentioning it. I am above nothing. I am not a god and I have no wish to go down to that state. I am the Ultimate now. I have talked to many people in other places through different means (e.g. in their dreams, on their telephones) Many people from other places are now on their way to the centre of the universe, which is here now. Beings do have the right to delay but not to stop the truth. If you want to obtain, the ultimate, which I know everyone does, you will have to come here” [ Abridged ‘General Letter No.9, File 533’ a message from the newly crowned John Ultimate, issued to the world on the 09th September 1974, from the just discovered centre of the universe. In case you were wondering, this centre he refers to is/was,
Soon after his 'declaration' Z.A.P devotees began selling their own family houses and securing properties as close as could to their leaders ‘spiritual black hole’ - nowadays a boutique bed and breakfast. 155,194,196, 208 and
I wonder if its current guests at the B&B are aware of the properties notoriety, or if it still retains any of the vestiges of its previous owner? The one-way windows, for example(?)
John Dalhoff (a.k.a John Ultimate) was an intensely secretive person. Television New Zealand ran an ‘Eye Witness’ documentary on Z.A.P in July of 1980, failing to air a single photograph or frame of film of him. Instead, viewers were asked to imagine someone who resembled the Greek soprano, Demis Roussous. So that, I’m afraid, is the best mental image I’m able to provide as well.
Over the years Dalhoff’s ‘Z.A.P super man’ alter-ego more than lived-up to his bold title. One of his elaborate claims, John Ultimate, was responsible for absorbing the energy from a massive
Now if this assertion sounds slightly bizarre, bordering on paranoid, it was the same John Ultimate that once expelled two members he accused of being Aliens [ Martin Van Beynen, Christchurch Press 26th August 2008] and became once worried that cash ‘donations’ from students, were being traced using the notes serial number.
At one point he employed the title, Sir John Dalhoff.
"With low enough awareness you may succeed in becoming 'stuck in a win' because losses are no longer under real inspection". Zarb Law Says:"How to get stuck in a win"? Get stuck in a tiny universe!" [Quote of the month December 1982]
Dalholff was a regarded as a harsh disciplinarian and imposed a range of ‘creative’ punishments for members who strayed, slacked or were in dispute with his teachings.
Breaches of rules meant a member was deducted ‘ethic points’. In punishment terms a mere one point deduction equated to a day tending the fields at the organic farm, a night scrubbing pots at one of the Z.A.P run restaurants, working at the S.P.C.A. Exercises in ‘public humiliation’ were another tactic – making a speech in Cathedral Square for example. Any student who accumulated 10 or more ‘ethic points’, faced more a longer restitution process, completing what were called ‘amends projects’. ‘Amends projects’ often lasted weeks.
Husband & wife could be ordered to live apart as part of their penance, and permitted to limit their communications to a maximum of three words a day. Dalhoff dubbed this brief three word communiqué a ‘Gorilla Statement’ (New Zealand Times, 16th December 1984)
Fines were also issued, with a hefty interest rate for late payers.
The biggest fear of any Z.A.P student was deregistration – the equivalent of being banished. Deregistration was automatic upon the accrual of 500 ethic points. Expelled members were termed a ‘suppressed person’. A suppressed person could literally buy their way back into ‘the fold’ but then had to start on the bottom rung.
References to purification rituals also occur & the synergy of ‘punishments’ & ‘purification’ with-in Z.A.P circles leads me onto one of the more notorious excerpts from their past.
On December 30th, 1980 Lane Anthony Hunt, a 32 year old business-man was found dead, in the sauna at Christchurch’s ‘Ladies & Gents Health Parlour’. The parents of Lane made accusations (N.Z Times 16th December 1984) their son died while under-going ‘a purification programme’. They also called for Police to investigate John Dalhoff and the Z.A.P ‘sect’ (their description, by the way). Although the exact circumstances of Lane Hunts death remain a mystery (one 'rumour' at the time was he was wearing a wet-suit) it was established that he been frequenting the sauna for prolonged periods on the orders of John Dalhoff. The last time Margaret & Charles Hunt saw their son alive was Christmas Day and Lane had declined to eat the family meal stating he was on ‘a purification diet’.
Another couple who called for Z.A.P to be investigated were the grieving parents of Peter Seward, who died in a car accident right outside Dalhoffs house,
The repute of this address around
“After discussing philosophical matters until the early hours, two men stood in the middle of the road, stopped motorists and told them to report to the police at a nearby house. Like Queen
During his brief time in the Christchurch Police Station cells, Dalhoff claimed the door to his cell wouldn’t shut due to his ‘powers’.
“So remember, when dealing with socialist liberals, they may be one of two kinds. Either the cynical liberal who goal is personal power at the expense of those he exploits, and thus deserves your contempt. Or the sincere liberal who is mentally incapable of thinking for himself, and thus deserves your pity”. [Excepts from ‘The Liberal’ a hand-out to students December 1983]
