Hamilton New Zealand Temple
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple (also known as the Hamilton Waikato Temple and formerly as the New Zealand Temple) is the 13th constructed and 11th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The intent to build the temple was announced on February 17, 1955, by church president David O. McKay during a meeting of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. With its completion in 1958, it was the church's first temple in the Southern Hemisphere, the second built both in Polynesia and outside the United States and Canada, after the Laie Hawaii Temple. Located just outside Temple View in Hamilton, it was built with a modern single-spire design similar to the Bern Switzerland Temple. Until completion of the Auckland and Wellington temples, it remains the only operating temple in New Zealand.
| 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 | ||||
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| 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 | |||
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The temple has modernist geometry and kōwhaiwhai patterning with design elements specific to Maori and other Polynesian cultures. This temple’s construction was overseen by George R. Beisinger, who supervised the church’s building program throughout the South Pacific, including the temple, the Church College of New Zealand (CCNZ), and other buildings in Temple View. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on December 21, 1955, with the president of the New Zealand Mission, Ariel S. Ballif, conducting.