Their prevailing view, quite reasonably seems to be innocent until proven guilty, a key plank in New Zealand, and English, law, even if the video footage of the brawl alleged to have involved Stokes, painted a horrible picture. The images are hard to shake.
"We believe Ben has the right to be treated the same way as other players,'' Canterbury chief executive Jeremy Curwin said today.
"It is also our understanding that Ben would be free to play county cricket in the English domestic competition were they in season."
If you want a justification look no further than that sentence: if he could in England why not in New Zealand?
The other option Canterbury could have taken was to let this nasty lifter through to the keeper and neither course of action is necessarily out of order.
Rather it comes down to a question of personal preference.
Recently Canterbury batsman Ken McClure pleaded guilty to assault and stood himself down for a period.
Whether it was entirely McClure's decision, or if he had mooted that course of action and got endorsement from Canterbury Cricket as opposed to a 'stick with it Ken, we've got your back' response doesn't really matter.
The cases are different. One player has had his day in court and accepted his guilt; the other hasn't even been charged.
New Zealand Cricket had already told Canterbury it wouldn't stand in their way if they wanted to sign Stokes.
There will be conditions around this, most obviously that if the England board decide they need the top class allrounder in Perth for the third Ashes test, or either of the two subsequent ones, then Canterbury will release him from any obligations.
Stokes clearly has issues.
Not only is there the late night footage allegedly involving him – and set aside any possible mitigation which has been floated – which is grim.
He's also had to apologise for mocking a disabled teenager on a video and there are other troubling soundbites in his career to date.
He got an official warning for obstructing police on a night out in Newcastle in 2012; a year later he was sent home from an England Lions tour for repeated late night drinking despite management warnings; and in 2014 broke a hand smashing a locker which rubbed him out of the world T20.
All this roars of a talented young athlete who needs some re-education on what his boundaries, and responsibilities, should be. Time away to clear his head wouldn't hurt.
The England board is evidently split, again essentially on cricket and non-cricket grounds.
Some members are known to want to get Stokes into the camp and into the Ashes pronto, before that cause is completely lost. They are already 1-0 down going to the day-night second test in Adelaide this weekend.
Others prefer to leave him out for some time to get himself sorted out and figure his priorities.
Canterbury's decision means Stokes is moving irrevocably closer to the Ashes.
Canterbury will allow Stokes to get a bit of match play under his belt and close to where the Ashes action is. A couple of 50-over games won't be nearly enough to get him up to Ashes speed, but at this point every bit of game time can only help.
But the message is wrong. Canterbury Cricket are enabling Stokes, currently stood down on full pay, from international cricket.
No one doubts the cricket value he'll bring Canterbury, but in this instance that is beside the point.
