Gloriavale teacher censured for striking student with vacuum pipe

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has censured Malachi Faithful, a teacher at Gloriavale Christian School, for serious misconduct. The censure follows a 2013 incident where Faithful struck a 14-year-old student on the leg with a vacuum cleaner pipe after the student made an obnoxious remark. While the student suffered no lasting physical injury, the tribunal found the act constituted physical abuse that adversely affected student wellbeing.

The tribunal decided not to cancel Faithful's teacher registration, describing the strike as an "impulsive individual act of force in response to a student's remark" rather than a pattern of behaviour. Instead, Faithful must complete a 12-month behaviour management and self-regulation programme under an approved mentor. He is also required to undergo classroom observations, engage in professional discussions with colleagues at other schools, and inform any prospective employer of the decision for two years.

The incident was disclosed to the Gloriavale Leavers Trust in 2022, leading to a police charge of assault with a weapon. Faithful pleaded guilty in June 2023 and received a discharge without conviction after being ordered to pay $1,250 in emotional harm reparation. He returned to teaching at Gloriavale in November 2023.

Faithful was ordered to pay $3,246 in costs to the Complaints Assessment Committee and $427.30 to the Teaching Council. His lawyers argued against these costs, noting he supports ten children and shares income within the Gloriavale community, but the tribunal rejected the claim due to a lack of sworn evidence of financial hardship.

How it developed

• Wed 30 Sep, 10:14amThe report notes that Gloriavale Christian School's registration was cancelled by the Ministry of Education, though it remains open under interim High Court orders.

Where reports differ

• One report specifies the student left the community in 2015, while others state the incident was reported nine years after it occurred

Compiled from reports by Stuff, RNZ, Otago Daily Times and The Press.