The charitable trust supporting activities associated with the Gloriavale Christian Community is being stripped of its charitable status following an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Charities Registration Board has determined the Christian Church Community Trust should be removed from the Charities Register, with deregistration taking effect from 23 September.

The Trust will also be prevented from applying for registration again for three years.

The decision follows a Department of Internal Affairs investigation involving court and tribunal decisions, interviews, governance and operational records, and information from other government agencies.

The Board drew heavily on findings from the Employment Court’s Courage and Pilgrim cases and the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal.

Those findings included the use of child labour from the age of six in Trust owned businesses, work in harsh and sometimes dangerous conditions, failures to protect children and workers from harm, and the internal handling and non reporting of sexual offending against a child at a Trust owned school.

The Board considered significant changes made by the Trust in recent years, including the appointment of independent trustees and stronger governance and safeguarding arrangements.

However, it found the seriousness, scale and duration of previous governance and oversight failures meant trustees had failed in their responsibilities and deregistration was in the public interest.

Former trustee Howard Temple has also been disqualified from holding officer positions in registered charities for five years, the maximum period available.

Department of Internal Affairs Director of Charities Services Charlotte Stanley said the decision related specifically to the Trust’s charitable registration.

“It does not determine the future operation of the religious community, nor does it address questions of criminal liability.”

Stanley said maintaining public trust and confidence in registered charities was fundamental to the integrity of the country’s charities system.

“While this is a significant decision, it is also one that reflects the seriousness of the conduct identified and acknowledges the impact on those affected.”

The Department said further information would be considered for release under the Official Information Act.