Gloriavale Trust deregistered for serious wrongdoing

The trust, which governs and administers the commonly owned assets of the Gloriavale community, was found to have supported the community's operations in ways that were unlawful and inconsistent with the wellbeing of trust beneficiaries.

After a period of information-gathering by the Department of Internal Affairs over several years, the board issued a Notice of Intended Decision (NOID) in April 2025 to deregister the trust and disqualify five trustees.

The board later spent two days with representatives of the trust hearing their objections to the intended decision, as requested by them under the Charities Act, and considered more information in 2026.

After carefully considering submissions, the board has decided to deregister the trust for three years on the grounds of serious wrongdoing. The board considered findings of the Employment Court, the Teachers’ Council, and other relevant information.

The board also disqualified former trustee Howard Temple for five years.

However, it did not disqualify four other current or former trustees, as it was not in the public interest to do so.

The Christian Church Community Trust and its trustees have the right to appeal the decision.

(This story has been generated using AI with editor oversight)