Legal Cases & Investigations
Education Investigations
For many years, concerns about the quality and safety of education at Gloriavale were raised by leavers and largely went unaddressed. That began to change from 2023, when the Education Review Office conducted a formal review of Gloriavale Christian School. What followed was a sustained period of scrutiny by both ERO and the Ministry of Education that is still ongoing.
Around 220 children of school age live at Gloriavale. Roughly 40 percent attended the private school, while around half were home-schooled, and the remainder were enrolled with Te Kura, the correspondence school. All three forms of provision have now come under review.
First ERO Review, October 2023
ERO’s Chief Review Officer initiated a Special Review of Gloriavale Christian School in 2023, prompted in part by the Employment Court cases and the wider concerns about child welfare that had emerged from them.
The findings were serious. The school was found to not meet six of the eight criteria required for registration as a private school. ERO concluded it was not providing an adequate education, could not offer any meaningful tuition beyond Year 10, and that the standard of teaching fell below that of state schools at the same year levels.
The review also raised concerns about a group of students referred to as the “Awhina class.” These were children who were not attending the school at all, but were instead being taught at home by their mothers. This group accounted for around 20 percent of the school roll. ERO’s report called for this practice to stop, and asked the Ministry of Education to assess whether all current school managers were fit and proper persons. A follow-up review was scheduled within 12 months.
Second ERO Review, July 2025
ERO returned in 2025. The report acknowledged that some progress had been made. Staff were following the New Zealand curriculum, and education provision was described as slowly improving.
However, the school again failed its compliance audit, this time not meeting three of the eight registration criteria. ERO concluded the school was still not a physically and emotionally safe space for students, that children with complex additional needs were not being adequately supported, and that health and safety monitoring across all schooling provision was insufficient. The review also noted that the Teaching Council was investigating an allegation of staff misconduct at the school.
It was the second consecutive failed audit.
Ministry of Education Action, October 2025
Following the second failed ERO audit, the Secretary for Education wrote to Gloriavale Christian School in October 2025 advising that she was considering cancelling its registration as a private school. The school was given five weeks to respond, later extended by a week.
During the lead-up to that deadline, Ministry staff were on site at the school daily for a month to support teaching staff and observe whether required policies were being consistently implemented. In September 2025, the Ministry determined the school continued to fall short of the required standard.
In December 2025, the Secretary for Education confirmed the decision to cancel the school’s registration, with effect from 23 January 2026. The stated reasons were insufficient evidence that the school was consistently meeting registration criteria, and no indication that more time would bring it into compliance. The school board described the decision as unjust and signalled it would challenge it.
Judicial Review, January 2026
The school board sought a judicial review of the cancellation decision. The High Court granted interim orders preventing the cancellation from taking effect on the original date, and the parties agreed the school would remain open while the judicial review was progressed.
As of April 2026, that process is still underway and the school’s registration status has not been finally resolved.
