Prestigious school’s future in doubt amid move to sell its land and buildings

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

St Thomas of Canterbury College principal Steve Hart said the school board would oppose the sale request.

A prestigious New Zealand school’s future is in doubt as its Catholic church owners move to sell its land and buildings to pay sexual abuse victims in Australia.

St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch is an integrated school with a roll of more than 700 students. The school’s land and buildings are owned by charitable trust the Trustees Of Christian Brothers of New Zealand, which is overseen by the church’s Oceania Province.

On Wednesday, a statement sent on behalf of the school’s board and principal Steve Hart to Stuff confirmed the Christian Brothers had served on the school a court request for permission to sell the assets.

“Whether this goes ahead is a matter for the courts, but the school board will oppose this request,” the statement said.

The college’s land was originally gifted by the Bishop of Christchurch, says its principal.

“However, what we are clear on is our very strong commitment for St Thomas of Canterbury College to keep educating our boys and young men.”

The board and school leadership team were committed to opposing the court action, and otherwise finding a way to keep the school operating on its current site, the statement said.

“We have a long history here on land that was originally gifted by the Bishop of Christchurch for our school.

“We will work with the Ministry of Education and the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch as this matter progresses to find the right solution for our school.”

St Thomas of Canterbury College operates under an integration agreement - a contract between the Minister of Education and the private school to enable it to join the state education system while retaining its distinct special character.

“If what is progressing impacts our integration agreement, we will work with the Ministry of Education directly on this,” the statement said.

“But during this time, day-to-day operation of the College remains unchanged. What is being discussed here is about land and assets and doesn’t change our ability to offer education that fosters educated hearts and educated minds.”

Coralanne Child, Director of Education for Canterbury and the Chatham Islands, says the college’s day-to-day operations will continue as normal.

In response to questions from Stuff, Coralanne Child, the Ministry of Education’s director of education for Canterbury and Chatham Islands, said in a statement:

“The Ministry of Education is aware of reports regarding the financial position of the Christian Brothers and the potential impact on the College.

“Any decisions regarding the school’s integration agreement would need to be worked through carefully, and it would be inappropriate for the Ministry to comment further at this stage.

“St Thomas of Canterbury College remains governed and managed by its board, and day-to-day operations continue as normal. Our priority, alongside the College, is the wellbeing and learning of students, staff, and the wider school community.

“We will continue to provide support and guidance as needed, working closely with the school’s proprietor, board, and leadership team.”

According to various Australian media outlets, 22% of Australian Christian Brothers between 1950 and 2010 had been credibly accused of child sexual abuse. In 2017, head brother Peter Clinch told a royal commission the figures were “shattering”.

The outlets have reported that the Christian Brothers had spent $571.5 million on abuse claims to 2024, and last week, the church became the first Catholic order in Australia to seek to effectively wind up.

It is proposing an ordered liquidation called a creditor’s scheme of arrangement.

“We accept that we have now reached a pivotal moment facing a very difficult financial position,” the church’s announcement reads. “The creditors eligible to participate in the proposed scheme will include the victims and survivors of abuse experienced in our facilities.”

The Trustees of the Christian Brothers New Zealand is the church’s New Zealand based charitable organisation. According to its listing dated December 2024, it is a religious institute of the Catholic church that advances the religion through education in secondary schools and “relief of poverty particularly in the area of disadvantaged and homeless New Zealand youth”.

It owns $66.8m worth of assets in New Zealand, according to the document.

Its entity structure states the New Zealand branch is part of a congregation of Christian Brothers, Oceania Province - a male Catholic congregation in Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

Minister of Education Erica Stanford and the Christian Brothers Oceania Province were approached for comment.