Joanna Thantu, ThePaper.co.nz
Gloriavale Christian School will be forced to shut after the Ministry of Education cancelled its registration, ending years of scrutiny over how children at the isolated West Coast community are educated.
The cancellation takes effect in January, after the school failed to meet required standards for student safety and governance.
Gloriavale is a closed religious community on the West Coast, where members live collectively and education, work and daily life are tightly controlled by community leadership.
Education officials say repeated reviews found the private school could not demonstrate that it provided a safe physical or emotional environment for students. Those concerns remained unresolved despite warnings and follow-up inspections.
Hundreds of children living at the commune have been educated either at the school, through distance learning, or at home. The closure now forces families to find alternative schooling arrangements, including enrolment in state schools or other approved providers.
Former members of the community have welcomed the move, saying it removes a key layer of isolation and could open the door to broader change inside Gloriavale.
The school’s board has signalled it will challenge the decision, arguing the cancellation is unjust. The Ministry says the threshold for intervention was met after sustained non-compliance.
For families inside the commune, the closure marks a major disruption. For regulators, it reinforces that all schools — regardless of belief or location — are required to meet the same minimum standards.
The next test will be how effectively children are supported into stable education settings outside Gloriavale.
The Paper 