Does Gloriavale have a future?

December 21, 2024: | The Press | Joanne Naish | The conservative West Coast Christian community has had a bad year. It was slated, among others, in the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s final report; yet more of its members appeared in court on sexual, physical assault and fraud charges; and this…

De-banking in the spotlight – Court of Appeal clarifies law related to the exercise of a contractual discretion

December 19, 2024: | Buddle Findlay | Bridie McKinnon, Jacey McGrath | In its recent decision of Bank of New Zealand v The Christian Church Community Trust & Ors, the Court of Appeal has clarified the New Zealand position on whether standards of reasonableness will apply to decisions made in the exercise of a contracting…

MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Sarah Salmond & Alex Church explain what the recent BNZ v Gloriavale judgment means

December 19, 2024: | Interest.Co | Sarah Salmond & Alex Church | What happened? The Court of Appeal’s recent judgment in Bank of New Zealand v The Christian Church Community Trust & Ors [2024] NZCA 645 (BNZ v Gloriavale) clarifies and aligns the legal framework governing the termination of banking relationships in New Zealand, which is commonly…

Former Gloriavale man dies in suspected suicide at West Coast hotel

December 17, 2024: | The Press | Joanne Naish | A 20-year-old man who grew up in the Gloriavale community has died in a suspected suicide. It is the third such death of a young man from the Gloriavale Christian Community since 2018. The man, who had left the community, died at the Paroa Hotel…

Former Gloriavale teenager found dead in suspected suicide at West Coast hotel

December 17, 2024: | NZ Herald | A teenager who grew up inside Gloriavale Christian Community has died in a suspected suicide at a West Coast hotel. The 18-year-old man who had left the community was found dead at Greymouth’s Paroa Hotel at 2.30pm on Sunday. A police spokesperson said the sudden death was not being treated as…

Gloriavale CEO says court backing BNZ to close accounts won’t be end of the community

December 13, 2024: | NZ Herald | Jenée Tibshraeny | Gloriavale is adamant it will continue to operate, even if BNZ closes its accounts. “It will not be the end of the community,” Phil Jamieson, the chief executive of the trust behind the exclusive religious community, told the Herald. The Court of Appeal on…

Debanking made easier

December 12, 2024: | Lexology | Simpson Grierson | Banks with unwelcome customers will take heart from the recent decision of the Court of Appeal on the debanking of Gloriavale and its related entities. The decision encouraged a literal interpretation of bank terms and conditions which allowed a bank to exit a customer…