Hamilton New Zealand Temple
Encyclopedia
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. 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
.
The site for the temple was first chosen by Wendell B. Mendenhall
who had been given a special assignment by President McKay to choose the site. The building of an LDS temple in New Zealand
was announced by David O. McKay
, the ninth president of the LDS Church, 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 (348,030 m²), which includes the LDS-owned Church College of New Zealand
, a secondary school for students aged twelve to eighteen. The temple is 44212 square feet (4,107.4 m²), has one ordinance room, three sealing rooms, and a baptistery. The spire rises to a height of 157 feet (47.9 m). The Hamilton New Zealand 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 Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated by David O. McKay on 20–22 April 1958. The Hamilton Temple serves Latter-day Saints in New Zealand and nearby South Pacific
islands.
According to Mormon folklore
, the Māori King Tāwhiao
accurately predicted the site of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple before his death in 1894.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located just outside the city of Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
in the suburb of Temple View
Temple View
Temple View is a suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. Temple View was established in the 1950s out of the construction of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and the Church College of New Zealand by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, it was built with a modern single-spire design very similar to the Bern Switzerland Temple
Bern Switzerland Temple
The Bern Switzerland Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Though the building is located in Münchenbuchsee, its postal address is assigned to the neighboring municipality of Zollikofen...
.
The site for the temple was first chosen by Wendell B. Mendenhall
Wendell B. Mendenhall
Wendell Bird Mendenhall was the head of the Church Building Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of the moving forces behind the Labor Missionary program of the LDS Church in the 1950s. Mendenhall was largely the father of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii...
who had been given a special assignment by President McKay to choose the site. The building of an LDS temple in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was announced by David O. McKay
David O. McKay
David Oman McKay was the ninth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , serving from 1951 until his death. Ordained an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1906, McKay was a general authority for nearly 64 years, longer than anyone else in LDS Church...
, the ninth president of the LDS Church, on 17 February 1955. With its completion in 1958, it was the first temple built by the LDS Church in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
and the second to be built outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
A ground-breaking ceremony and site dedication were held on 21 December 1955. The site of the temple is on 86 acres (348,030 m²), which includes the LDS-owned Church College of New Zealand
Church College of New Zealand
Church College of New Zealand was a private secondary school in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand, that was operated by the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was closed at the end of the 2009 school year.-History:Construction of the Church College of...
, a secondary school for students aged twelve to eighteen. The temple is 44212 square feet (4,107.4 m²), has one ordinance room, three sealing rooms, and a baptistery. The spire rises to a height of 157 feet (47.9 m). The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was built entirely by church labour missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
who volunteered all of their time. Local members supported these workers with money, food, and lodging.
Hugh B. Brown
Hugh B. Brown
Hugh Brown Brown was an attorney, educator and author and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, commonly shortened to Assistant to the Twelve or Assistant to the Twelve Apostles, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1941 and 1976...
, 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 Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated by David O. McKay on 20–22 April 1958. The Hamilton Temple serves Latter-day Saints in New Zealand and nearby South Pacific
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
islands.
According to Mormon folklore
Mormon folklore
Mormon folklore is a body of expressive culture unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. It includes tales, oral history, popular beliefs, customs, music, jokes, and other traditions....
, the Māori King Tāwhiao
Tawhiao
Tāwhiao I, Māori King , was leader of the Waikato tribes, the second Māori King and a religious visionary. He was a member of the Ngāti Mahuta iwi of Waikato....
accurately predicted the site of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple before his death in 1894.
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 SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)