Hamilton New Zealand Temple

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple is the 13th constructed and 11th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The building of a Latter-day Saint temple in New Zealand was announced by David O. McKay, the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ, on 17 February 1955. With its completion in 1958, it was the first temple built by the Church in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located in Temple View, a suburb outside of Hamilton, New Zealand, the Hamilton temple was the second to be built outside of the United States and Canada; the first temple built outside the U.S. and Canada was the Bern Switzerland Temple.

The temple is 44,212 square feet, has one ordinance room, five sealing rooms, a Celestial room, baptistry, and 75 other rooms needed to carry out temple ordinances and temple work according to Latter-day Saint belief. The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was built entirely by Church labor missionaries who volunteered all of their time. Local members supported these workers with money, food, and water. The temple is located at 509 Tuhikaramea Rd, Temple View, Hamilton 3218, New Zealand.

Latter-day Saint history in New Zealand goes back to the 1850s when the first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in the area. Missionaries found many who were ready to hear the gospel, but the first stake, in Auckland, was not organized until one hundred years after the arrival of the missionaries. Most of the first converts in New Zealand were of Maori or Polynesian descent. Since then, however, the Church of Jesus Christ in New Zealand has become culturally mixed with members in the area of Australian, British, European, Asian, and North American descent. The needs of all the members in New Zealand are met by having special branches in other languages as needed.

A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on 21 December 1955. Ariel S. Ballif, the New Zealand Mission President at the time, broke the ground. The site of the temple is on 86 acres, which included a Church-owned college. This school was for students ages twelve to eighteen. Ninety-two percent of the students were Latter-day Saint and the school strove to teach secular as well as religious subjects. "On 29 June 2006, Church leaders announced that the Church College of New Zealand would cease accepting new students in 2007 and would close at the end of the 2009 school year (after 51 years of operation); in discussing its decision, the church cited a policy of the church to close its private secondary schools when the public school system is able to offer quality education." [1]

Hugh B. Brown, an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, placed the cornerstone in the temple at a special ceremony held on 22 December 1956. Less than a year and a half later, the temple was open for public tours for 23 days (28 March - 19 April 1958) prior to the dedication. During this time about 112,500 people toured the temple. The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated by David O. McKay on 20-22 April 1958. The Hamilton New Zealand Temple serves members in New Zealand.

Temple Facts

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was the first temple built in the Southern Hemisphere and second built in Polynesia, following the Laie Hawaii Temple (1919).

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was originally named the New Zealand Temple.

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple is a sister building to the Bern Switzerland Temple.

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was constructed with a single auditorium-style ordinance room equipped with motion-picture presentation of the endowment.

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple and adjoining Church College of New Zealand (permanently closed in December 2009) were both built entirely by volunteer missionary labor.

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple features beautiful murals on the walls of its Celestial Room. (Only two other temples feature full Celestial Room murals: the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple and the Los Angeles California Temple. The corner pillars in the Logan Utah Temple Celestial Room portray a heavenly landscape, too.)

Prior to its dedication, some 112,500 visitors toured the Hamilton New Zealand Temple during its public open house.

The Church College of New Zealand was dedicated six days after the dedication of the adjoining Hamilton New Zealand Temple.

The first stake in New Zealand was created the month after the dedication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple in the city of Auckland, about 80 miles north of Hamilton.

For a time, the Hamilton New Zealand Temple offered overnight endowment sessions from Friday through Saturday to accommodate the many members who came on the weekend.

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple closed in 1993 for two months to replace wall coverings and furnishings. In 1994, the temple closed again for 9 months for a more extensive renovation that included installation of air conditioning and removal of asbestos.

Hamilton New Zealand Temple Closed for Extensive Renovations

Rendering of Hamilton New Zealand Temple and auxiliary buildings as they will appear after renovation. Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

After serving Church members in the Pacific for six decades, the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, the Church’s 13th constructed and 11th operating temple, and the first temple in the Southern Hemisphere closed for extensive renovation on August 2018. Changes with the renovations included seismic strengthening and significant upgrades to its mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems. Other changes include a new roof and an accessible entrance to the baptistry. The inside furnishings received a refresh, as well as the landscaping and parking lot. Because of the historical nature of the building, all renovations met strict heritage standards. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the renovation.

The temple is one of the buildings constructed by “labor missionaries” — volunteers with experience and young missionaries who were called to assist in building the temple. More than 1,500 labor missionaries helped build the temple, along with many locals — many of whom were not members of the Church.

Renderings and Images of the Rededicated Temple

The pictures in this gallery are renderings of what the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and auxiliary buildings will look like once renovations are complete. The pictures were taken from LDS Living.com. Pictures from the renovated temple were downloaded from Hamilton New Zealand newsroom.

Hamilton Visitor's Centre rendering.
Hamilton temple and missionary housing rendering.
Rendering of the lobby of Hamilton New Zealand Temple after renovation.
Close-up of oxen in baptistry of Hamilton New Zealand Temple.
Entrance of Hamilton New Zealand Temple.
Part of lobby area.
Instruction room.
Celestial room.
Celestial room.
Bride's room.
Sealing room.

Open House, Rededication for the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Nearly 64 years after the doors of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple first opened and nearly four years after it was closed for an extensive renovation, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced dates for the temple’s open house and rededication.

A media day took place on Monday, 22 August 2022, followed by private tours for invited guests from 23 August to 25 August. The general public toured the temple from Friday, 26 August 2022 through Saturday, 17 September 2022, except for Sundays, 28 August, 4 September, and 11 September 2022. More than 55,000 guests toured the renovated temple.[2]

A youth devotional was held on Saturday, 15 October 2022, the day before the rededication.

Elder Uchtdorf makes a heart symbol with his hands while greeting people between sessions of the rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. Courtesy Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.

Under the direction of the First Presidency, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rededicated the Hamilton New Zealand Temple on Sunday, 16 October 2022, with three sessions that were broadcast live to chapels throughout the temple district — across New Zealand and on to the Cook Islands, Nuie and New Caledonia.

Accompanying Elder Uchtdorf were four General Authority Seventies and their wives — Elder Kevin R. Duncan and Sister Nancy Duncan, Elder K. Brett Nattress and Sister Shawna Nattress, Elder Peter F. Meurs and Sister Maxine Meurs, and Elder Taniela B. Wakolo and Sister Anita Wakolo. Elder Duncan is executive director of the Temple Department, Elder Nattress the president of the Church’s Pacific Area, and Elders Meurs and Wakolo his counselors in the area presidency. Sister Harriet Uchtdorf was home convalescing after eye surgery the previous week.[3]

“This is a day of worship, of rejoicing and for the opening of hearts to receive the heavenly ministration of the Holy Spirit of God,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “This is a day to be remembered forever. It is a day of beginning.”

It was also a day of reflection and recommitment for Latter-day Saints to walk before God with all their hearts, he added.

“This temple of God will bless this country and people. It will be a light to the nations. It will lessen the influence of the evil one. It will be a beacon of light and a place of hope.”[4]

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple currently serves all Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. An additional temple is under construction in Auckland and it was recently announced that another temple will be built in Wellington.