Anke Richter

Anke Richter
Richter speaking at the Decult conference in Christchurch (2024)
Born1964 (age 61–62)
Germany
OccupationsJournalist, author
Notable workCult Trip: Inside the World of Coercion & Control
Websiteankerichter.net

Anke Richter (born 1964) is a German journalist and author based in Lyttelton, near Christchurch, New Zealand. Her work has included foreign correspondence and investigative reporting. Since the 2010s her particular focus has been on cults, coercive control and high-control groups. Her books include Cult Trip: Inside the World of Coercion & Control (2022), and she organised the first Decult Conference in Christchurch in 2024.

Career

In the late 1990s Richter worked as a freelance journalist in Kiel, Germany. She had previously undertaken journalistic training at a correspondent's office in Los Angeles and wrote for the German women's magazine Allegra. Her first book, Aussteigen auf Zeit: Das Sabbatical-Handbuch, was published by vgs in 1999.

Richter later spent seven months on Atafu, one of the three atolls of Tokelau. Her experiences there formed the basis of Tokelau. 200 Tage: Bericht aus einem sinkenden Paradies, published by vgs in 2003.

Richter moved to New Zealand in 2003 and subsequently worked as a freelance journalist and foreign correspondent. Her book Was scheren mich die Schafe: Unter Neuseeländern. Eine Verwandlung was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 2011. The book dealt with her experiences of migration and adapting to life in New Zealand.

As a correspondent, Richter has reported for German-language publications including Die Zeit, Der Spiegel and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Her reporting has included New Zealand current affairs and investigations into yoga, tantra and spiritual communities.

Reporting on cults and coercive groups

Richter began researching cults and high-control groups in the 2010s. Her reporting included investigations into the Agama Yoga school in Thailand and other spiritual and tantric communities.

In 2022, HarperCollins published Richter's Cult Trip: Inside the World of Coercion & Control. The book examines several high-control communities, including Centrepoint, Gloriavale and Agama Yoga.

The book was reviewed by publications including Newtown Review of Books and Newsroom. In 2023, Austrian newspaper Der Standard interviewed Richter about the book and her reporting on coercive groups.

Decult

Richter organised Decult, a cult-awareness conference held at Tūranga in Christchurch on 19 and 20 October 2024. The event was described in advance by The Press as Australasia's first cult-awareness conference.

Awards and recognition

In 2024, New Zealand Skeptics named Richter its Skeptic of the Year, citing her work on cult awareness and the Decult conference.

In 2025, Richter, Sarah Steel and Summer Cooke were co-recipients of the Ethical Media Award in the Freedom Express Awards.

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Arnold, Naomi (2022). "Surviving and diving into the world of cults as an outsider". Stuff. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Lachner, Theresa (8 April 2023). "Anke Richter: "40 Prozent aller Frauen in Sekten werden sexuell missbraucht"". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Misogyny, horrific abuse and free love in cults explored in new book". Stuff. 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 Naish, Joanne (20 November 2023). "Christchurch to host Australasia's first cult awareness conference". The Press. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Richter, Anke; Martens, Axel (April–May 1999). "Für uns ist jeder Sturm ein Segen". mare (in German). No. 13. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Gorelik, Lena (8 March 2003). "Das unbekannte Land". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Reif für die …". Die Tageszeitung (in German). 19 July 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Zinggl, Martin (3 October 2011). "Anke Richter". Wiener Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 Richter, Anke (16 September 2018). "Namaste, mein Vergewaltiger". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  10. 1 2 Richter, Anke (9 April 2020). "Rückholflüge aus Neuseeland: Heiko, come fly for me". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Richter, Anke. "Orgasmische Meditation: Wenn der weibliche Orgasmus zum Geschäft wird". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 Garden, Mary (10 November 2022). "Anke Richter Cult Trip". Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Book of the Week: Awful people, awful ideas". Newsroom. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Our 2024 Awards". New Zealand Skeptics. 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "2025 Freedom Express Awards: Recognizing Awe-Inspiring People". The Freedom Train Project. 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2026.