Wesley College hostel closure

The story so far

In October 2025, Wesley College announced it would close its boarding hostels at the end of term four, citing ongoing concerns about student safety and hostel culture and earlier abuse allegations at the school.^{20 Oct 2025} On 2 November, the Ministry of Education suspended the school's boarding licence and ordered the hostels closed by that Friday, bringing forward the earlier plan.^{3 Nov 2025} The school launched legal action against the Ministry's order, seeking to keep the dormitories open until the end of term four to avoid disruption.^{6 Nov 2025} The hostel was then ordered closed after a violent incident involving more than 30 senior boarders; the Education Review Office cited a history of abuse, and the principal criticised the office's conduct.^{11 Nov 2025} The Methodist Church then dissolved the Wesley College trust board and ordered an external review of the school's governance, following the safety concerns at its South Auckland boarding hostels.^{18 Nov 2025}

Latest

The Methodist Church has dissolved the Wesley College trust board and ordered an external review into the school's governance.^{18 Nov 2025} This decision followed concerns about student safety, including the recent violent incident involving more than 30 boarders.^{18 Nov 2025}

Key moments

1. 20 Oct 2025School announces hostel closure at end of term four over safety concerns
2. 3 Nov 2025Ministry suspends boarding licence and orders hostels closed by Friday
3. 6 Nov 2025School launches legal action against the Ministry's closure order
4. 11 Nov 2025Hostel ordered closed after violent incident involving more than 30 boarders
5. 18 Nov 2025Methodist Church dissolves trust board and orders external governance review

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