Wesley College, in Pukekohe, was established in 1844 and is New Zealand's oldest registered secondary school.
The entire Wesley College Trust Board has been dissolved and an independent review is under way, after ongoing concerns around student safety and a public stoush between the principal and Education Review Office.
The announcement was made to parents today in a statement from the Methodist Church of New Zealand.
“At its conference last week, the Church resolved to dissolve the current Wesley College Trust Board and commission an external review.
“This process will inform the reconstitution of a refreshed Trust Board structure to guide the College into its next chapter,” the statement said.
Wesley College, based in Pukekohe, was established in 1844 and is New Zealand’s oldest registered secondary school.
Former Wesley College Trust Board chair Jan Tasker confirmed the board had been dissolved, but said she couldn’t comment further.
The decision to overhaul the board does not appear to be signposted in the agenda of the most recent Methodist Church conference, which concluded on November 15.
The agenda lists the pre-dissolved Trust Board members as the “2025/2026 membership”.
The Ministry of Education ordered the urgent closure of the hostels at Wesley College this month after serious incidents related to student safety.
It was recently revealed that a violent incident involving more than 30 senior boarders at the college prompted the drastic recommendation.
It followed an Education Review Office (ERO) report that recommended the suspension of Wesley’s licence.
The changes to the governance are “designed to strengthen oversight and ensure the college’s future continues to be built on sound governance and care for its community,” the church said.
The president of the Methodist Church, Te Aroha Rountree, will act as the Interim Wesley College Trust Board in the interim, supported by the vice-president and the general secretary.
The external review will begin shortly, with findings and recommendations to be presented to the church’s Tauiwi Strategy and Hui Pōari for consideration.
Rountree said the transition period would provide space for discernment and improvement.
“We are deeply grateful to the outgoing Trust Board members for their generous service,” she said.
“Their commitment and aroha for the college over many years have been immense. This step continues the shared goal of a vibrant and thriving Wesley College community.”
While the school “fully acknowledged” historical failures, Wesley College principal Brian Evans earlier told the Herald that over the past few years, the school had found the stance of ERO staff to be “deeply disrespectful” of the students they interviewed, claiming they were lying and covering up.
He claimed students had disclosed after several ERO visits that they felt the ERO staff were trying to put words in their mouths and badgered them about whether they felt safe at the school.
“ERO’s approach appeared to be dismissive of the student voice. Students said they felt pressured to provide negative answers. That totally undermines our efforts to nurture a culture where students feel safe and empowered to speak out.”
However, ERO deputy chief executive for review and improvement services Shelley Booysen has hit back, saying it “strongly refutes” the claims made by Evans about the evaluation, and that the ERO would not apologise for protecting the safety of students.
“This school has a long history of abuse,” Booysen said.
“We acknowledge that ERO visits may at times be unsettling for staff and students, but we make no apology for ensuring that student welfare is not only prioritised but consistently protected.”
During the July progress meeting, the ERO was informed that since its previous visit, another significant bullying incident had occurred at the hostel.
“On this occasion, more than 30 senior students left their hostel building at night, entered a junior building, and a small group of senior boys either participated in or observed the bullying and assault of junior students,” the report read.
As first reported by the Herald, education officials had serious concerns about Wesley’s hostel.
“This decision [to close the hostels] follows a pattern of serious and ongoing concerns about the safety and wellbeing of boarders,” the Ministry of Education’s Sean Teddy told the Herald.
“While some improvements have been made since special conditions were imposed on the hostel’s renewed licence in April 2025, further serious incidents have occurred this year.
“These incidents have highlighted persistent issues with student safety, staff oversight and the hostel’s ability to shift away from long-standing practices that place boarders at risk.”
Teddy said the ERO’s recommendation, “alongside the ministry’s own monitoring and the recurrence of harmful incidents, has led to the conclusion that continued operation of the hostel in its current state is not in the best interests of boarders”.
Previous ERO reviews of the Wesley College hostel raised safety concerns and prompted the ministry to review the college’s hostel licence.