15 episodes
The Commune Stuff
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- True Crime
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4.7 • 169 Ratings
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A 12-part documentary podcast about the notorious free-love commune, Centrepoint. There are crimes. But this isn’t a whodunnit. It’s a whydunnit.
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01: Open Day
A free-love commune called Centrepoint springs up in the suburbs of 1970s New Zealand, devoted in equal measure to sex, group therapy, and its guru Bert Potter. What could possibly go wrong?
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02: Awkward Buggers
Locals are fascinated by the sights and sounds of the sex commune next door. Founding members recall the optimism and excitement of Centrepoint’s early years – and the bizarre circumstances that led to the community’s first death.
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03: The Girl on the Lawn
Who the hell was Bert? How Centrepoint’s leader went from buttoned-up businessman to morally transgressive guru. Meanwhile Barri and “Robert” are each witness to moments that reveal the darkness lurking inside the Centrepoint dream.
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04: Under the Carpet
Barri and “Robert” are haunted by the ugly truth about their commune, but they respond differently. Plus: a quick history of communes in Aotearoa, and the complex social forces that made Centrepoint possible.
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05: Invaders
The ever-expanding Centrepoint commune goes to war: with its fed-up neighbours, with the local council and, thanks to Robert’s decision to speak out, the New Zealand Police.
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06: The Centrepoint Kids
It’s the 1980s, and Centrepoint’s on a roll. Bert is investing in the booming stock market; and the head-count keeps rising. But some of the new arrivals at the commune have wild stories to tell.
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Customer Reviews
Well produced
Really fascinating and well produced
Too slow
Could be shorter, 6 episodes would make we more sense. At times it feels like it’s prolonged for no reason.
Fascinating and so well done
I am obssessed - it’s reported so well trying to understand Barrie but not justifying what is clearly wrong!! Although it took a lot of googling to figure out what a car case it - I was imagining the body of a car!!