1958 Dedication of the New Zealand Temple
Unique to the New Zealand Temple is that it was primarily built by labor missionaries. As they commenced the building of the temple, they were told to "build it for eternity." Through the contributions and donations from local members, the labor missionaries were able to complete the New Zealand Temple and the surrounding structures, including a secondary school.
One labor missionary, recounting the experience almost 65 years later, said, "The reward was seeing it finished. By then, we were all converted, and the Church was true.”
Another labor missionary recounted, "Building the temple was very worthwhile; but being able to go to the temple was the highlight. When you saw your fellow labor missionaries dressed in white and the Prophet dressed in white for the dedication, it was a sacred highlight.”
On the day of the dedication, an enthusiastic welcoming committee was created to greet President David O. McKay — ninth President of the Church — as he exited the plane in Hamilton, New Zealand. In his historic visit, he planned to dedicate not just the first house of the Lord in New Zealand, but the first house of the Lord in all the Southern Hemisphere.
The Prophet dedicated the edifice, originally called the New Zealand Temple, on April 20, 1958. The Church News reported that “an air of wonder hung over New Zealand” to see the temple and accompanying school built.
With President McKay were members of the Council of the Twelve Apostles — Elder Delbert L. Stapley and Elder Marion G. Romney. Also in attendance was Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Now, dear Lord, our Eternal Father, through love for Thee and their fellow men, faithful members of Thy Church, and others who believe in Thee, by tithes and other generous contributions, have made possible the erection and completion of this, Thy holy house, in which will be performed the ordinances and ceremonies essential to the happiness, salvation and exaltation of Thy children living in mortality and in the spirit world. Accept of our offering, hallow it by Thy presence, protect it by Thy power. With this prayer we dedicate our lives to the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth for the peace of the world and to Thy glory forever.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the New Zealand Temple here.
Photos of the 1958 New Zealand Temple
2022 Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
After an unexpected delay due to COVID-19, the Hamilton New Zealand Temple — renamed in 1999 to include the city — was finally rededicated on Oct. 16, 2022, after renovations that started July 2018.
“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,” said Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who dedicated the new house of the Lord. “This is a day to be remembered forever. It is a day of beginning.”
The rededication took place over three sessions on Sunday and were broadcast to chapels throughout the area, including the Cook Islands, Niue and New Caledonia.
“This temple of God will bless this country and people,” said Elder Uchtdorf. “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.”
Elder Uchtdorf presided over and spoke at each of the three sessions and offered the dedicatory prayer after. He said the new temple should serve as “a reminder that the Savior is in their midst” and that Saints should act as if in His presence.
Accompanying Elder Uchtdorf at the dedication ceremony were Elder Kevin R. Duncan, executive director of the Temple Department; Elder K. Brett Nattress, president of the Church’s Pacific Area; and Elder Peter F. Meurs and Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, counselors in the Pacific Area presidency. Apart from Sister Harriet Uchtdorf watching the dedication abroad, these leaders’ wives were also in attendance.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “And now, acting in the authority of the everlasting priesthood, and as Thy humble servants, we dedicate to Thee and Thy Beloved Son the Hamilton New Zealand Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At this historic moment, we include in this dedicatory prayer all the blessings and promises invoked during the original dedication by President David O. McKay in 1958.”
Read the rededication prayer of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple here.
Timeline of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
President David O. McKay announced a house of the Lord for Hamilton, New Zealand, on Feb. 17, 1955. Three years later, on April 20, 1958, President McKay dedicated the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. Prior to the dedication was held an open house, where 55,000 people attended.
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple closed for renovations for roughly four years, and after an open house held from Aug. 23 to Sept. 17, 2022, the temple was dedicated on Oct. 16, 2022, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple stands on a site of 86.4 acres. The exterior wall was made with painted concrete and an acid-etched glazing. The structure is enclosed in a steel fence, and the walkways are finished concrete with concrete masonry pavers.
The majority of the carpet found within the temple is a soft green color; however, the carpet in the celestial room is a soft cream. The stone flooring was made with a limestone called Butter Silk, quarried in Palestine; it has a yellowish creamy color. Maori patterns are found throughout the temple.
The font and oxen statues in the baptistry were made in Switzerland and were also made with the same molds used to create the baptistry in the Bern Switzerland Temple. Historic murals are found in the baptistry and celestial rooms.
Interior Photos of the Renovated Hamilton New Zealand Temple
