Gloriavale Christian School to remain open after high court ruling
Gloriavale Christian School has won a last minute reprieve to stay open, despite the Ministry of Education declaring it not an “emotionally and physically safe” environment.
The ministry confirmed in December that it was cancelling Gloriavale’s registration as a private school, as of January 23, following a string of failed audits and serious concerns.
However, an appeal from the West Coast school to the High Court on Thursday has resulted in a decision not to close it.
“Following an application by the Board of Gloriavale Christian School, the High Court yesterday granted interim orders that the cancellation of the registration of the school should not take effect today,” Secretary for Education, Ellen McGregor-Reid said.
“In light of that, the parties have now agreed that the school should remain open pending the hearing of Gloriavale’s application for judicial review of the Secretary’s deregistration decision, which the parties have agreed to progress expeditiously.”
In August, Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad called for the school’s urgent closure, saying she had zero confidence that students were safe.
Speaking in December, a school spokesperson pledged to challenge the deregistration decision, describing it as “unjust”.