Children’s Commissioner Jane Searle has backed the decision to close Gloriavale Christian School, saying the safety, wellbeing and rights of children must now be at the centre of every decision about what happens next.
The Secretary for Education has confirmed the private school’s registration will be cancelled following a special Education Review Office review and ongoing concerns about whether students were being provided with a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.
The West Coast school has around 80 students enrolled and has been the subject of prolonged scrutiny from education authorities.
Searle says children growing up within the isolated Gloriavale community are entitled to the same standard of education, protection and opportunity as every other child in Aotearoa.
Her support for the closure comes as attention shifts from the regulatory battle over the school to the future of the tamariki affected by it.
The Commissioner says government agencies will need to ensure children and their whānau are not left navigating the upheaval alone.
The Ministry of Education has already been working on alternative arrangements, but Searle says carefully managed transition plans, practical assistance and wraparound support will be critical to maintaining children’s education, wellbeing and stability.
The closure is not expected to happen immediately.
Gloriavale Christian School has challenged the cancellation process through the High Court, with a judicial review hearing scheduled for October. The Ministry has now applied to the court to lift interim orders that have prevented the school from being closed.
The school board strongly disagrees with the latest decision and is considering further legal options.
For the Children’s Commissioner, however, the central issue remains the welfare of the children rather than the dispute between institutions.
The case has also been running for more than a year. Former Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad called for the urgent closure of the school in August 2025 after raising serious concerns about student safety.
Searle’s intervention reinforces a broader principle that children’s rights to safety, education and protection apply regardless of where they live, their family circumstances or the religious community in which they are raised.
The Ministry says it will work with the Gloriavale community to determine the practical timing of any closure, with the interests of students guiding that process.
For the roughly 80 children currently attending the school, the next challenge will be ensuring that closing one education pathway does not leave them without another.
#Gloriavale #GloriavaleChristianSchool #ChildrensCommissioner #JaneSearle #ChildSafety #ChildrensRights #Tamariki #Rangatahi #Education #EducationNZ #SchoolClosure #StudentSafety #ChildProtection #ChildWellbeing #Whanau #MinistryOfEducation #EducationReviewOffice #WestCoast #Aotearoa #NZNews #TeAoMaori #MaoriNews #WaateaNews #RadioWaatea
