1989
Aotearoa—‘Land of the Long White Cloud’
September 1989

“Aotearoa—‘Land of the Long White Cloud’” Ensign, Sept. 1989, 53

Church in New Zealand

Aotearoa—

“Land of the Long White Cloud”

Image
Church in New Zealand

Historical Sites

  1. Auckland—The gospel was first preached in New Zealand at Auckland, then the nation’s capital, in October 1854. The Queen Street chapel in Auckland was the first LDS stake center in New Zealand and is one of the oldest Church buildings in the country. The Church offices in New Zealand are also located in Takapuna City, part of Greater Auckland.

  2. Karori—After preaching in Auckland, missionaries traveled to Wellington. In Karori, just west of Wellington, the first branch of the Church in New Zealand was organized in April 1855.

  3. Kaiapoi—Here, just north of Christchurch, the New Zealand conference of the Australasian Mission was organized in May 1870.

  4. Masterton—During a meeting of Ngatikahungunu tribal leaders at Te Ore Ore near here in 1881, wise Paora Potangaroa was asked to help the chiefs determine which of the Christian churches Maoris ought to join to preserve unity among them. After meditation, fasting, and prayer, he gave them a prophecy which enabled Maoris who were familiar with it to recognize the representatives of the true church when LDS missionaries came among them shortly afterward.

  5. Cambridge—Some of the earliest baptisms among Maoris were performed in the Waikato River near here in December 1882 and January 1883.

  6. Gisborne—Near here, the first translation of the Book of Mormon into Maori was completed in 1887 by Elders Ezra Richards and Sondra Sanders. Later, while serving as a missionary in New Zealand, Elder Matthew Cowley revised the translation.

  7. Nuhaka—The first LDS school among Church members in New Zealand was organized here in 1886. Others were organized in Waiapu, Mahia, Waikato, and Hauraki. The schools met in Church meetinghouses.

  8. Bridge Pa, near Hastings—The Maori Agricultural College, a Church school, existed here from 1913 to 1931. Many Maori leaders of the Church were graduates of the school.

  9. Temple View, near Hamilton—This is the site of the temple, the Church College of New Zealand, the missionary training center, and the New Zealand Temple pageant. The only Church visitors’ center in New Zealand is located here, as is the Church Educational System headquarters for the country.

Stakes

7. Kaikohe New Zealand

14. Palmerston North New Zealand

1. Auckland New Zealand Manukau

8. Hamilton New Zealand

15. Upper Hutt New Zealand

2. Auckland New Zealand Manurewa

9. Rotorua New Zealand

16. Wellington New Zealand

3. Auckland New Zealand Tamaki

10. Temple View New Zealand

4. Auckland New Zealand Harbour

11. Gisborne New Zealand

Missions

5. Auckland New Zealand Henderson

12. Christchurch New Zealand

1. New Zealand Auckland

6. Auckland New Zealand Mt. Roskill

13. Hastings New Zealand

2. New Zealand Christchurch