Secretary for Education Cancels Gloriavale Christian School Registration Over Safety Failures
The Secretary for Education has officially cancelled the registration of Gloriavale Christian School effective from 23 January 2026. The school was notified of the decision on Thursday following sustained concerns about its failure to meet government registration requirements and its inability to provide a safe environment for students.
Gloriavale School / RNZ
The cancellation represents the culmination of an extended regulatory process beginning with Education Review Office audits that identified serious deficiencies at the West Coast Christian community's educational facility. In July 2025, the ERO released a report documenting that Gloriavale Christian School had failed to meet three of eight registration criteria required for private school operation. Most critically, the audit concluded that the school was not providing a physically and emotionally safe space for its students.
Secretary for Education Ellen MacGregor-Reid had initially written to Gloriavale Christian School in October 2025 advising that she was considering cancellation of the school's registration following the second failed ERO audit in consecutive years. The pattern of audit failures demonstrated systemic issues rather than isolated problems, triggering the formal regulatory response.
Following the July ERO report, education officials met with Gloriavale school leaders on 23 July 2025 to formally express concerns about the institution's compliance with registration requirements. This meeting resulted in the issuance of a second formal "notice to comply," requiring the school to address identified deficiencies within a specified timeframe. The school's failure to adequately respond to the compliance notice contributed to the decision to proceed with registration cancellation.
In August 2025, the Children's Commissioner Claire Achmad called for the urgent closure of Gloriavale Christian School, indicating grave concerns about the safety of students attending the facility. Achmad stated publicly that she held zero confidence that students at the school were being kept safe, effectively endorsing the regulatory action that ultimately proceeded.
The closure will affect the educational arrangements for children within the Gloriavale community. The Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust, an organization supporting former community members, had advocated for a special transitional educational model if the school were to close. The organization expressed concerns that the community's residential hostels would not provide an appropriate environment for homeschooling arrangements, suggesting that alternative educational solutions would be necessary for students affected by the registration cancellation.
The registration cancellation reflects government determination to enforce educational standards protecting student safety and wellbeing across all educational settings, including private institutions operated within isolated communities. The decision followed comprehensive regulatory review and multiple opportunities for the school to remediate identified deficiencies before the final cancellation determination was made.
The effective date of 23 January 2026 provides a transition period, though the precise arrangements for continuing education for students currently enrolled at Gloriavale Christian School remain to be determined through coordination between education officials, community leadership, and support organizations focused on student welfare.