A special Education Review Office review carried out earlier in 2026 has found the school to be physically and emotionally unsafe for students. Its report states: "The provision of high-quality curriculum, teaching and learning at the school remains inconsistent... ERO is not satisfied that safeguarding systems are sufficiently aligned, transparent, and robust in practice."
It has been a source of disquiet for NCWNZ that Gloriavale Christian School has received taxpayer funding yet provided limited curriculum options, especially for girls, whose learning focus is limited and largely directed towards domestic skills. Senior year's subjects are taught according to gender, with boys learning carpentry, engineering, and farming, and girls learning sewing, cooking, laundry, and childcare.
Additionally concerning is the practice of removing children from classes to provider additional workers for labour in the kitchen, laundry or other worksites on the Gloriavale property. The employment court case Pilgrim v Attorney General noted that girls from a young age are responsible for food preparation, serving, cleaning, and laundry tasks before and after school hours, and were described as child and forced labour. Lawyer Brian Henry's summary to the employment court stated, "Gloriavale was built on the backs of young women."
While NCWNZ applauds the decision to cancel the school's registration, we remain concerned that the education of children, especially girls, as with all aspects of their life at Gloriavale, is strictly controlled by the community's male leaders and based on a religious patriarchal system. We therefore endorse the statement from the Children's Commissioner, Jane Searle who said, "The safety, wellbeing, and rights of children must now be at the centre of every decision about what happens next." Commissioner Searle also wanted to ensure that children and whānau "are not left navigating the upheaval alone."