Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Centre

The Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Centre, which includes the Pacific Church History Library and Pacific Church History Museum, was dedicated in 2017 by President Henry B. Eyring. The centre operates under the direction of the Pacific Area Presidency and functions as a branch of the Church History Department’s library and museum in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

The state-of-the-art Pacific Church History Library preserves and provides access to thousands of journals, photographs, books, and audio and video recordings that chronicle the history of the Church in the South Pacific. Materials stored in the library’s secure, environmentally controlled archive can be used by visitors in a public reading room equipped with computer, printer, and scanner stations. Patrons may also bring personal laptops to the reading room.

Admission to the library and museum is free to the public.

Our Purpose

The Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Centre was established to help the Church History Department fulfill its scriptural mandate to preserve records of historical significance for future generations (see D&C 21:1; 69:3, 8; 85:1–2). This mandate is best accomplished when records are stored in a safe, secure, and environmentally controlled facility. Since the organisation of the Church, records have been gathered to Church headquarters for safekeeping. However, to better meet the needs of the worldwide Church, records are now also stored at authorised records preservation centres and Church history centres around the world. The Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Centre was the first Church history centre established away from Church headquarters.

Our Collection

The Pacific Church History Centre collects materials by or about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the majority of the collection relates to New Zealand, there are also records from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Missionary journals and oral and video histories from these countries offer rich firsthand accounts of how the Church was established and has grown in the South Pacific. Historic photographs provide a window into the lives of early missionaries and converts. The collection also includes records from the Church College of New Zealand, documenting academics, sports, and student life at the school.

Our Staff

Our centre is staffed by missionaries and volunteers who are prepared to assist visitors to our library and museum. Library staff is trained to help everyone—from family historians to professional researchers—find records that help Church history come alive. Email the staff about your research interests before you arrive to help them prepare for your visit.
Museum guides can assist you with the interactive displays, provide more detail about the stories in the museum, and suggest avenues of personal research. They can also arrange for you to view one of the many Church videos shown in our 80-seat auditorium. We also welcome opportunities to talk to groups outside the museum.

Bookings are available for the Museum outside of regular hours by special appointment. To make a booking, please contact us by phone, email or call the Museum directors on 021 537 498.

For reference and research assistance, use our Ask Us service.