Dedication of the Auckland New Zealand Temple
On Palm Sunday 2025 — commemorating Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem two millennia prior — an Apostle and disciples of Jesus Christ raised the hallowed refrains of the Hosanna Shout in the house of the Lord.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Auckland New Zealand Temple on April 13, 2025, the the start of Holy Week and Sunday before Easter.
“To shout hosanna to God and the Lamb on Palm Sunday is a singular experience,” Elder Kearon said. He called the Palm Sunday dedication “the experience of a lifetime” and an “immaculate demonstration of our love for our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ.” He added: “Everything about this holy house points us to our Heavenly Father and our Savior. Everything here is to help us look beyond ourselves and come to a deeper understanding of our life’s purpose.”
This sacred setting of the temple is where Latter-day Saints can perform saving ordinances for those they love and those they will one day meet, said Elder Kearon. “This is the place where you can leave your mortal cares behind, rise above your earthly troubles and perfectly contextualize your daily experiences within the great plan of happiness. Here you may come to know the higher ways of the Lord and receive His higher joy.”
Elder Kearon was accompanied at the dedicatory services by his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon. They were joined by Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and then executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; and Elder Peter M. Meurs, a General Authority Seventy and Pacific Area president, and his wife, Sister Maxine Meurs.
Elder Meurs, a native of Australia who served as a young missionary in Auckland and was married in the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, underscored the importance of having a new house of the Lord in the Pacific Area’s headquarters city. “Throughout the Pacific Area, leaders and members are focused on bringing all to Jesus Christ — strengthening our faith in Him and inviting all to receive His healing power as they participate weekly in the sacrament ordinance and helping all to receive the eternal blessings of temple ordinances, covenants and worship.”
The entrance to the Auckland New Zealand Temple is a mere 119 steps from the entrance of the neighboring New Zealand Missionary Training Center. “What an incredible blessing to be so close to the house of the Lord,” said MTC President David E. Young. He continued, “The gathering of Israel occurs on the other side of the veil in the Auckland temple, which we see through the front windows of the MTC, and in the gathering of Israel on this side of the veil through our mission preparatory work within the walls of the New Zealand MTC.”
Mark Green, who served as a temple open house and dedication committee co-chair, said local media coverage of the open house was positive. “The questions went beyond the physical characteristics of the building to how it will benefit members and the community.”
He said many of his own neighbors and work colleagues visited the temple. “All were both impressed by the building and the spirit they felt. The objective of the open house — having all who enter the house of the Lord feel of His love — was achieved.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray that all who enter here will be blessed with a deeper understanding of Thy plan of happiness. We pray that workers and patrons will feel Thy love and compassion for them. We pray that their faith will be strengthened and that they will feel Thy peace and Thy joy.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Auckland New Zealand Temple here.
Timeline of the Auckland New Zealand Temple
The Auckland New Zealand Temple was announced Oct. 7, 2018, by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication for this house of the Lord were held on June 13, 2020, and presided over by Elder Ian S. Ardern, Pacific Area president.
After a public open house from Feb. 27 to March 22, 2025, the Auckland New Zealand Temple was dedicated April 13, 2025, by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Auckland New Zealand Temple
The multilevel building of approximately 45,455 square feet features design motifs that include New Zealand flora — kōwhai flower, pōhutukawa tree, manuka tree, kauri tree and silver fern — as well as the blue and green colors of the pāua shell, with accents of gold. Designs also feature Māori basket weave patterns.
Flooring provides visual ties to New Zealand, with green quartzite stone reminiscent of New Zealand jade (pounamu) and the white calacatta caldia marble calling to mind the word “Aotearoa,” the Indigenous Māori name for New Zealand, meaning “land of the long white clouds.”
Art-glass designs reflect the same New Zealand flora, along with blue, green, yellow and clear textured glass. Also, the millwork and doors feature Tasmanian oak, a native Australian eucalyptus wood.
Landscaping across the 11.4-acre site features 250 large trees, including native kōwhai, nīkau palms and pōhutukawa trees. Two of the latter were transplanted from a site in central Auckland, where they would have been cut down. The grounds also include shrub gardens, seasonally rotated flowers and lawns.
Interior Photos of the Auckland New Zealand Temple
