Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Hamilton New Zealand Temple
Number	11
Dedication	April 20, 1958, by David O. McKay
Site	86 acres (35 ha)
Floor area	45,251 sq ft (4,204.0 m2)
Height	157 ft (48 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
← Los Angeles California Temple Hamilton New Zealand Temple → London England Temple
Additional information
Announced	February 17, 1955, by David O. McKay
Groundbreaking	December 21, 1955, by Ariel Ballif, Wendell B. Mendenhall, and George R. Biesinger
Open house	March 28 – April 19, 1958 August 26-September 17, 2022
Rededicated	16 October 2022, by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Designed by	Edward O. Anderson
Location	Hamilton, New Zealand
Geographic coordinates	37°49′34.62599″S 175°13′28.64280″E
Exterior finish	concrete block and white-painted structural steel
Temple design	Modern contemporary, single spire
Baptistries	1
Ordinance rooms	2 (Movie, stationary)
Sealing rooms	8
Clothing rental	Yes
Visitors' center	Yes
()

The Hamilton New Zealand Temple (formerly the New Zealand Temple) is the 13th constructed and 11th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located just outside the city of Hamilton, New Zealand in the suburb of Temple View, it was built with a modern single-spire design very similar to the Bern Switzerland Temple.

History

Celestial room
(prior to dedication)

The site for the temple was first chosen by Wendell B. Mendenhall who had been given a special assignment by LDS Church president David O. McKay to choose the site. The building of an LDS Church temple in New Zealand was announced by David O. McKay on 17 February 1955. With its completion in 1958, it was the first temple built by the LDS Church in the Southern Hemisphere and the second to be built outside of the United States and Canada.

A ground-breaking ceremony and site dedication were held on 21 December 1955. The site of the temple is on 86 acres (350,000 m²), which includes the LDS Church-owned Church College of New Zealand, formerly a secondary school for students aged twelve to eighteen. The temple is 44,212 square feet (4,107.4 m²), has one ordinance room, three sealing rooms, and a baptistry. The spire rises to a height of 157 feet (48 m). The temple was built entirely by church labour missionaries who volunteered all of their time. Local members supported these workers with money, food, and lodging.

Hugh B. Brown, then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, placed the ceremonial cornerstone of the temple on 22 December 1956. The temple was open for public tours for 23 days prior to the dedication. During this time about 112,500 people toured the temple. The New Zealand Temple was dedicated by David O. McKay on 20 April 1958. The temple serves Latter-day Saints in New Zealand and New Caledonia. According to Mormon folklore, the Māori King Tāwhiao accurately predicted the site of the temple before his death in 1894.

On 19 January 2018, the LDS Church announced that in July 2018, the temple would close for renovations that are anticipated to be completed in 2021. In 2019, Russell M. Nelson announced the location for a new LDS Church temple in Auckland, New Zealand—the second temple in the country.

Presidents

Notable presidents of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple include Glen L. Rudd (1984–87), Douglas J. Martin (1992–95), and Sidney M. Going (2013–2016).

See also

• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
• Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand

Further reading

• Newton, Marjorie (2012), Tiki and temple: the Mormon mission in New Zealand, 1854-1958, Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, ISBN 9781589581210
• Hunt, Brian W. (1977), Zion in New Zealand: a history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand, 1854-1977, Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand: Church College of New Zealand, OCLC 5929653
• Hunt, Brian W. (1971). "The New Zealand Temple". History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand (M.A. thesis). Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University. OCLC 364847768.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1958), History, growth and development of the Church College of New Zealand and New Zealand Temple project, Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand: The Waikato Times, Church College of New Zealand, OCLC 367407873
• Howe, Allie (November 1955), "A Temple in the South Pacific", Improvement Era, 58 (11): 811–813
• Mendenhall, Wendell B. (April 1955), "Elder Wendell B. Mendenhall: President of the San Joaquine Stake", General Conference Report, LDS Church, pp. 3–7

External links

• Hamilton New Zealand Temple Official site
• Hamilton New Zealand Temple at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org