Christ’s College announces resignation of principal three days before term starts

Friday, 26 January 2024

Christ’s College has announced the resignation of its executive principal, Garth Wynne, just three days before the school’s 735 students begin the new school year.

In a letter to the Christchurch’s school’s community, board chairperson Hugo Lindo announced Wynne would be leaving at the end of term two in early July.

Lindo told The Press Wynne’s resignation was not related to the ongoing investigation into a tutor Christ College employed last year who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl.

“Garth is pursuing new opportunities within the education sector in Australia”, Lindo said, adding it was no surprise he was keen “to be closer to family” over there.

The letter stated Sheffield Consulting would undertake a recruitment process and the school hoped to have a new principal in place for term three.

“In the meantime, the college remains in Garth and his leadership team’s capable hands.”

Wynne’s eight and half years as principal were praised as “the most transformative and successful period in the history of the college”, and he was thanked for his service.

The college’s term one newsletter, published on Wednesday, did not mention the resignation.

Christ’s College was embroiled in scandal last year after it emerged it had employed a live-in boarding house tutor from 2018 to 2019 who had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl and groomed another teenager.

The tutor, Taurapa, was able to continue working at Christ’s College for over two and a half years, a decision Lindo has previously condemned.

Wynne became Christ’s College’s executive principal in 2016 after 15 years as headmaster at Anglican independent school Christ Church Grammar, in Perth, Australia.