Tuakau Private Christian School Ceases Operations, According to NZ Herald

Private Christian School Owes $322,000 to IRD Following Liquidation

A private Christian school based in Tuakau has ceased operations with liquidators finding no assets yet identified to satisfy creditors, according to the NZ Herald. The company operated as a charity until May, when authorities deregistered it over a failure to file annual accounts.

Financial trouble at the institution stretched back years before the shutdown. Accounts filed to December 2022 showed negative equity of $87,919 against total assets of just $159,673. That year recorded a deficit of $95,906, following a similar loss of $43,666 the year prior.

The school opened in 2013 with nine students and gained full registration the following year. Its website, which is now offline, stated its vision was for students to thrive, gain confidence, and fulfill their calling. By the time of the most recent Education Review Office report in 2024, the private combined primary and secondary school had a roll of 48 students and met all operational requirements.

Willem van Rensberg founded the school, served as its principal, and acted as the sole director of the company when liquidators took over. He did not return calls requesting comment.

Notes to the 2022 accounts revealed related-party payments to Rhijnsburg Bookkeepers, a firm owned and directed by van Rensberg and his wife. The entity received $236,395 in the 2022 financial year and $189,664 the year before for providing teaching, principal, and bookkeeping services. Eden Christian Academy is listed as the company shareholder and is understood to be a related charity that was deregistered in June.