Church announces groundbreaking and renaming of temples in New Zealand and Texas

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wellington New Zealand Temple will take place on August 2, 2025. Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, First Counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency, will preside over the event. The temple will be constructed on a 3.35-acre site in Aotea, Porirua, New Zealand, with plans for a two-story building covering approximately 14,900 square feet, including an ancillary building with arrival facilities and accommodations for temple patrons.

President Russell M. Nelson announced the Wellington New Zealand Temple in April 2022, stating: “I plead with you to counter worldly ways by focusing on the eternal blessings of the temple. Your time there brings blessings for eternity.” The temple will be the third of its kind in New Zealand, joining the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and the Auckland New Zealand Temple, which was dedicated by Elder Patrick Kearon on April 13, 2025.

The Church has a long history in New Zealand, with the first converts baptized in 1853 and the first congregation established in 1855. There are nearly 120,000 Latter-day Saints in the country today, spread across approximately 220 congregations.

Meanwhile, the Church has announced that the McKinney Texas Temple will now be known as the Fairview Texas Temple. Located on an 8.16-acre site along Stacy Road in Fairview, Texas, the temple site is adjacent to an existing meetinghouse. The Fairview Texas Temple becomes the 10th temple announced, under construction, or in operation in the state, joining others such as the Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and Houston Temples.

Texas's Latter-day Saint community numbers over 390,000 members in more than 750 congregations. Missionary work began in the state in 1843 during the Church's early years.

Temples serve a unique purpose for Latter-day Saints, distinguishing them from regular meetinghouses (or chapels) where Sunday services and activities are open to all. Temples are reserved for sacred ceremonies, such as marriages that unite families eternally and proxy baptisms for deceased individuals who had not undergone the rite during their lives.