News Release

The State of Faith in New Zealand

Mormons and the broader religious landscape analysed by The New Zealand Herald

This week The New Zealand Herald published an analysis of the state of faith throughout the country.
 
According to the report the Hamilton suburb of Temple View — built around The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Hamilton New Zealand Temple — “has the highest percentage of Christians” in the North Island.  

While there is a high concentration of Latter-day Saints living in Temple View, there are also growing congregations throughout the country. 

In the last three years ten new congregations have been created in different parts of New Zealand, bringing the total number to 219. 

New congregations include two for young singles which were organised in Auckland last month.

Also over the last three years two new Latter-day Saint meetinghouses have been built in New Zealand and another two have been extended to accommodate growing numbers of worshippers. Among the buildings in planning or construction phases is a new meetinghouse in Temple View.

There are currently 138 Latter-day Saint meetinghouses across the country. Many of these buildings are multi-congregational, providing opportunities for worship, education, family history research, and cultural and sporting involvement for two or three different congregations.

Church meetinghouses are also open to visitors from the community who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Church leader Elder David Thomson says, “Faith in New Zealand is alive and well. We are seeing it in our congregations and more broadly as we meet with and serve in our neighbourhoods alongside our friends from other faith communities.”
 
“We are seeing many, many young people, mature adults, singles, couples and families from across the spectrum of society engaged in personal religious observance and attending our worship services on Sunday. It is gratifying to see so many New Zealanders increasing their faith in God and Jesus Christ.”

Watch a Faithcounts.com video featuring Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, about the importance of faith in society, as well as videos about Mormons in New Zealand and around the world:

Style Guide Note:When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.