Gloriavale leader Howard Temple resigns as Overseeing Shepherd
Gloriavale leader Howard Temple has resigned as Overseeing Shepherd after being convicted of sexual offending against girls and women at the West Coast Christian community.
Temple, 85, has been replaced by Shepherd Stephen Standfast.
Temple pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault, five
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1News
9 hours ago
- 1News
Children's Commissioner calls for urgent closure of Gloriavale Christian School
The Children's Commissioner is calling for the urgent closure of Gloriavale Christian School, saying she has zero confidence that students are safe. School leaders must next week show the Ministry of Education that they are fixing problems identified in a July Education Review Office (ERO) report or it will consider cancelling the private school's registration. The deadline loomed at a time of leadership change at the West Coast Christian community, with Howard Temple resigning as Overseeing Shepherd following his conviction for sexual offending. The ERO report found the school had not met three of eight registration criteria and was not a physically and emotionally safe space for students, marking Gloriavale's second failed audit in as many years. Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad said the school should not remain open and called on the government to show bravery and protect children's rights. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm hugely concerned to see yet another report from ERO outlining a very troubling situation at the Gloriavale school. This is now clear-cut. I'm calling for the school to be closed. I have zero confidence about children's physical and emotional safety and well-being at the school," she said. Achmad said she had raised her concerns with the ministry. "The evidence has mounted now to a point where this is urgent. I repeat my call for the school to be closed so that the rights of children to education are upheld," she said. "The majority of people living at Gloriavale are children but it is well documented more widely that this is a coercive control environment that children are living in and that the community and the school is not a safe place for children. "It is clear that children in Gloriavale are having to deal with a range of risks to their rights and direct violations of their rights. This is a crucial opportunity for the government to step in to take brave action to protect children's rights in Gloriavale." If the ministry decided to close the school, Achmad said it would need to create a bespoke transition plan for Gloriavale children to access alternative education. Gloriavale Christian Community. (Source: ADVERTISEMENT Ministry of Education acting hautū (leader) Te Tai Runga (South) Andrea Williams said officials met Gloriavale school leaders on July 23 to express serious concerns about its compliance with registration requirements and issue a second formal "notice to comply". "To retain its registration as a private school, Gloriavale Christian School must submit an updated action plan that should outline how the school intends to meet the criteria that have not yet been satisfied. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for August 20, where the school is expected to present evidence of completed and ongoing actions," she said. "The ministry expects Gloriavale Christian School to take responsibility for addressing the unmet criteria independently and we are closely monitoring their progress. We understand the school has engaged an external education consultant to support these efforts. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including police fatally shoot a woman in Christchurch, sausages recalled over glass fears, and why McDonalds Japan isn't loving its customers right now (Source: 1News) "The ministry remains deeply concerned about the physical and emotional safety of students. The school has been advised that if it cannot present a viable plan within the required timeframe, cancellation of its registration as a private school is a possible outcome." Education Minster Erica Stanford said she had sought official advice about the school. "I have been kept up-to-date by my officials at ERO. They have serious concerns which is why they have gone in again, done a report, said here are the things that need to be fixed," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Asked if she thought children were safe at the school, Stanford repeated her remarks about the ERO's concerns. "I've made sure that they are going in regularly. I will be receiving that final report and we will make decisions after that," she said. Education Minster Erica Stanford. (Source: Under the Education and Training Act, the ministry could cancel the registration of a private school if it no longer met the criteria, including providing suitable premises, staffing, curriculum, or ensuring student safety and well-being. The step was considered only after other avenues had been exhausted and where there was clear and ongoing non-compliance, the ministry said. Gloriavale has been contacted for comment. While July's ERO report found Gloriavale Christian School staff were following the New Zealand curriculum and education provision was "slowly improving", it identified a lack of suitable staffing for enrolled students with complex additional needs who could not attend because of insufficient equipment to support their physical needs. ADVERTISEMENT The ERO report also noted the Teaching Council was investigating an allegation of staff misconduct and the school had been instructed to formally monitor the staff member. The report said about 40% of the 224 school-aged children at Gloriavale attended the school, while about half were home-schooled and the remainder were enrolled with Te Kura (formerly the Correspondence School). A damning 2023 ERO review found the school did not meet six of the eight criteria for private school registration and the provision of education was "inadequate and uncertain". Based on publicly available information, former Education Review Officer Paul Matthews told RNZ the ministry's process needed to happen "fairly urgently" because of the depth and extent of the school's non-compliance. Matthews, who was not involved with Gloriavale during his time at the ERO, said the best results were achieved with negotiation and consultation with school boards. If a school was forced to close, the ministry also had a responsibility to help children find an alternative place to go, he said. "Private schools rarely come up for cancellation because they rely on attracting fee-paying students, their public relations and profile is really important. They really can't afford to be offering an inferior product to state schools because they just wouldn't survive," he said. ADVERTISEMENT "Gloriavale is a different situation, almost unique because it's a closed community. Market forces really don't apply." Gloriavale Christian School sought to become an Independent Schools of New Zealand member last year but its application was declined. Gloriavale member David Stedfast — who is a defendant in a multi-million-dollar slavery class action brought by former members against the Christian community — was on placement at Paparoa Range School in June, according to the school's Facebook page. When approached by RNZ, board of trustees presiding member Louise Gault said the school could not comment on individual student teachers or related personal matters because of privacy obligations. "Paparoa Range School is committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. We regularly host student teachers as part of their professional training, in partnership with accredited tertiary institutions," she said in a statement. "We take our responsibilities seriously and have robust processes in place to assess and manage placements, including consideration of any potential risks. Where appropriate, we seek advice from relevant authorities and act in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines." The deadline for the school loomed at a time of leadership change at the West Coast Christian community, with Howard Temple resigning as Overseeing Shepherd following his conviction for sexual offending. (Source: Pool) ADVERTISEMENT Last month, Temple pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act and two of common assault days into a judge-alone trial in Greymouth. On Tuesday, the community confirmed Stephen Standfast had replaced Temple as Overseeing Shepherd. "The Overseeing Shepherd of the Gloriavale Christian Community, Howard Temple, 85, has resigned," Gloriavale said in a statement. "His position has been taken by Stephen Standfast, who has been designated to replace Mr Temple for several years. Mr Temple succeeded the community's founder, Hopeful Christian, upon his death in 2018. In the years since then, he has led a campaign to establish policies around child safety and well-being, as well as workplace health and safety. "Mr Standfast, 48, has spent several years now working with outside agencies to support on-going changes for safety and well-being." Temple is on bail and would be sentenced in December. By Jean Edwards of
Otago Daily Times
11 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Community 'devastated' after police shooting
By Sam Sherwood and Adam Burns of RNZ The pastor of a church attended by a couple shot by police - one fatally - in Christchurch says the incident is "heartbreaking". Woman killed, man 'critical' It comes as a friend of the couple said they had issues with family violence and addiction but "seemed to be getting alright". Police were called to a house in Clyde Rd, in the suburb of Bryndwr, about 11pm yesterday after receiving a report that a man armed with a knife was threatening himself and his partner. Officers arrived at the property a short time later and a woman ran from the house, followed by a man armed with a knife, police said in a statement this morning. Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said officers shot the man, believing the woman to be at risk of imminent serious harm, critically injuring him. The woman subsequently picked up the knife and threatened police. Officers appealed for her to put the weapon down, but she instead moved forward, and was fatally shot, he said. Immediate medical assistance was provided to the woman but she died shortly afterwards, Hill said. The injured man remains in a critical condition in hospital. The couple were connected to the New Generation Church in Clyde Rd. Senior pastor Eduardo Mendonça told RNZ the church helped the local community through various programmes as well as lunches and breakfasts. The couple would regularly attend. "We just always dealt with them as a couple. Our main goal as a church was just to serve with the basic needs, like immediate needs, and of course, with sharing our beliefs as a Christian church. That is our main involvement with them." He said the community was devastated at the news. "Our hearts are broken to know that people so close to us in that community went through this. "We are devastated. It's heartbreaking to know the people that we've been serving and talking and in a sense, you know, just getting to know slowly, you know, within their own lives, they were going through such pressure and difficulties that that led them to this." A friend of the couple laid flowers in Clyde Rd for his friends this morning. Nate Light said the pair had issues with family violence and addiction. "They had been having their troubles over the past few days. They seemed to be getting all right because we had spoken to them. They seemed to be getting alright," he said, tearfully. The man was in a "bit of weird headspace". "I'd like to say that I could have come down with my partner last night and told [the man] to come chill at home with the dogs. But that's me putting it on myself like it's not my fault, you know. "It's just there's things I could have done. I could have done this, and could have done that, but, f***, there's nothing you can do really at the end of the day." A nearby resident told RNZ the couple were "always fighting" and said police were routinely called to the address. The neighbour, who asked not to be named, said they had lived at the house for about six years. "They were very unhappy. She was a very unhappy person. They fought a lot. She was always calling the police." For a while police would be called "every few months," she said. About a year ago the woman who lived at the house told her neighbour the couple were going through anger management. Since then, things appeared to be quieter she said. "I thought maybe they had sorted things out." Last night, the resident said she heard a loud bang and later saw police. "I was surprised that it happened because they'd been quiet for a long while." Scene guards were in place at the Clyde Rd property, and residents could expect to see a continued police presence in the coming days. Kāinga Ora has confirmed to RNZ the fatal shooting was at one of its properties and said its thoughts were with all those affected. Regional director Liz Krause said it would be reaching out to nearby tenants to see if they needed more support over the coming days. A investigation was under way and the shooting would also be referred to watchdog the Independent Police Conduct Authority, police said.
Otago Daily Times
12 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Pastor says community 'devastated' after police shooting
By Sam Sherwood and Adam Burns of RNZ The pastor of a church attended by a couple shot by police, one fatally, in Christchurch says the incident is "heartbreaking". It comes as a friend of the couple said they had issues with family violence and addiction, but "seemed to be getting alright". Police were called to a house in Clyde Rd, Bryndwr, about 11pm on Wednesday after receiving a report of a man armed with a knife threatened himself and his partner. Officers arrived at the address a short time later and a woman ran from the house, followed by a man armed with a knife, police said in a statement. Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said officers shot the man, believing the woman to be at risk of imminent serious harm, critically injuring him. The woman subsequently picked up the knife and threatened police, he said. Officers appealed for her to put the weapon down, but she instead moved forward, and was fatally shot, he said. Hill said immediate medical assistance was provided to the woman but she died shortly afterwards. The injured man was still in a critical condition in hospital on Thursday morning. The couple were connected to the New Generation Church on Clyde Rd. Senior pastor Eduardo Mendonça told RNZ the church helped the local community through various programs as well as lunches and breakfasts. The couple would regularly attend. "We just always dealt with them as a couple. Our main goal as a church was just to serve with the basic needs, like immediate needs, and of course, with sharing our beliefs as a Christian church. That is our main involvement with them." He said the community was devastated at the news. "Our hearts are broken to know that people so close to us in that community went through this," he said. "We are devastated. It's heartbreaking to know the people that we've been serving and talking and in a sense, you know, just getting to know slowly, you know, within their own lives, they were going through such pressure and difficulties that that led them to this ... this is heartbreaking." A friend of the couple, Nate Light, was laying flowers in Clyde Road for his friends this morning. Light said the couple had issues with family violence and addiction. "They had been having their troubles over the past few days. They seemed to be getting all right because we had spoken to them. They seemed to be getting alright," he said, tearfully. The man was in a "bit of weird headspace", Light said. "I'd like to say that I could have come down with my partner last night and told [the man] to come chill at home with the dogs. But that's me putting it on myself like it's not my fault, you know. It's just there's things I could have done. I could have done this, I could have done this, and could have done that, but, f..., there's nothing you can do really at the end of the day." A nearby resident told RNZ the couple were "always fighting" and said police were routinely called to the address. The neighbour, who asked not to be named, said they had lived at the address for about six years. "They were very unhappy. She was a very unhappy person. They fought a lot. "She was always calling the police. For a while the police would be called "every few months," she said. About a year ago the woman who lived at the address told her neighbour the couple were going through anger management. Since then, things appeared to be quieter she said. "I thought maybe they had sorted things out." Last night the resident heard a loud bang and then later saw police. "I was surprised that it happened because they'd been quiet for a long while." Scene guards were in place at the Clyde Road property, and residents could expect to see a continued police presence in the coming days and part of the road would be closed. "We have spoken to next of kin, and our thoughts are with the family of those involved at this incredibly difficult time," Hill said. Kāinga Ora has confirmed to RNZ the fatal shooting was at one of its properties. It said its thoughts were with all those affected. Kāinga Ora's regional director, Liz Krause, said it will be reaching out to nearby tenants to see if they need more support over the coming days. A investigation was under way and the shooting would also be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) as is standard, police said.
