Gloriavale assets put at $50.1m

| Greymouth Star | Brendon McMahon |
Greymouth Star

The Gloriavale Christian Community returned a small surplus of $85,201 in the 2024-25 financial year, turning around the $800,000 deficit it reported to Charities Services the previous year. The annual returns for the Christian Community Trust — the umbrella organisaiton which gives Glorivale its legal charitable status — was published this week by the government agency Charities Services.

The purpose listed for Gloriavale, home to 600-plus people at their closed community beside Lake Haupiri,is for the continuing existence and development of “the Christian Church Communities according to every commandment and principle of the New Testament and according to their faith”.

The trust controls 10 non-registered entities which are limited liability companies: Air West Coast, Apetiza, Canaan Farming Dairy, Canaan Farming Deer, Canaan Farming Engineering, Caring Midwives, Gloriavale Christian Preschools, Gloriavale Christian School, Haupiri Net, and Value Proteins.

In the financial year ending July 31, the trust showed comprehensive revenue and expense of $1,741,998.

Total revenue was $20.3m, with the main income from providing goods and services from other sources. Expenses totalled $20.23m including “employee remuneration” of $416,401. Fees, subscriptions and donations to the trust were $44,157. The trust received donations, gifts, bequests and similar revenue of $15,646 for the period, and other revenue from ‘non-exchange transactions’ of $503,968. Gloriavale assets are valued at $50.1m, with total equity minus liabilities at $47.7m. The organisation carried $6.845m in cash and cash equivalents. For reporting purposes, the Church Community Trust said it did not operate as a charity overseas during the period. It has an outpost in India.

It also discloses it did not receive donations from the public, funding agencies or its members.

As a means to support Gloriavale families, the trust’s objective is to provide “the necessary means and facilities”where members and those who may wish to become members “may live together in their family units as Christian Church Communities”.

This is to facilitate self-support and to meet each family’s needs, “and having all things common”.