Elder Kearon Dedicates the Auckland New Zealand Temple on Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, 13 April 2025, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Auckland New Zealand Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Members of the Church from Auckland and Northland regions gathered in the temple and selected Church meetinghouses to participate in the long-awaited temple dedication service.

Elder Kearon taught that the temple is "a sacred symbol of Heavenly Father's love for His children."

"Everything about this holy house points us to our Heavenly Father and the Saviour," he said.

"Everything [about the temple] is to help us to look beyond ourselves and come to a deeper understanding of our life's purpose as seen through heaven's eyes."

"Each ordinance and each covenant is a reminder of our Father in Heaven's deep love for us," he said.

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Elder Kearon continued, "One of the sweetest blessings of worshipping in the temple often is hearing time and time again the beautiful, powerful promises that our Father in Heaven has gifted us because He loves us so much and wants us to find joy and peace.

"Though we don't always feel it, the truth is that we are of infinite worth in the sight of God, and each soul is individually and inherently precious."

He said, "These constant reminders lift us above our daily cares to a higher and more hallowed view of the world we live in and our place in it."

Following his address, Elder Kearon offered a prayer, dedicating the temple to the Lord's sacred work.

The dedicatory prayer included a plea that the temple would stand "as a sacred symbol of Thy love for Thy children and their love for Thee. May it be a house of joy and a beacon of light to those who enter and to all who see it."

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Elder Kevin R. Duncan, executive director of the Temple Department., taught about the significance of participating in the Hosanna Shout on Palm Sunday as part of the temple dedication service.

He taught that the word hosanna "is a cry meaning 'save us' or 'rescue us,' and later it also came to mean 'we thank thee, we love thee, we praise thee.'"

Elder Duncan said that when "Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people celebrated Him" with cries of hosanna.

"Christ would [later] perform His greatest act of love and deliverance on our behalf. How appropriate that there would be shouts of joy and gratitude prior to this most monumental of all occasions," said Elder Duncan.

President Selesi'utele Lavea, Sister Camellia Lavea, and teenager Leilani Tawhiti added to the joy of the meeting with their testimonies of love and gratitude for the Lord, Jesus Christ and His holy house.

Led by a chorister and accompanied by an organist, a choir of six men and six women sang hymns that witnessed Jesus Christ's great love.

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Elder Peter F. Meurs, president of the Pacific Area, conducted the dedication service.

Following the dedication, Elder Kearon and his wife Jennifer and Elder Meurs and his wife Maxine greeted local Latter-day Saints outside the Auckland, New Zealand Temple.

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Elder Meurs shared his feelings about what the Auckland New Zealand Temple would mean for the people of New Zealand.

"What a joyous day! I'm overcome with emotion. I can feel Heavenly Father's love for the people of New Zealand," he said.

"It started with the temple open house," he said. "It was remarkable to come here to see the members participating in such a united and loving way."

He continued: "When you arrived at the site, whether you were being directed to a car park, greeted at the door, or waiting, you were being ministered to. It was a unique and powerful experience. It felt like the spirit of the Lord's holy house was spreading through the Church members in a really powerful way."

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Elder Meurs added: "Tens of thousands of our friends came to the temple and experienced the ministering love of the Saviour through the members serving here. So that was a beautiful experience."

"I felt so proud as I thought about our Church members going to meetinghouses in [Auckland and Northland] to participate and feeling the spirit of the Lord's holy house," he said.

"We came to the temple dedication today with Elder Patrick Kearon, and we all felt his love and his joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ."

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15-year-old Aucklander Star Montgomery said that she could describe her feelings with one word, "love." 

Star explained, "I could feel the pure and perfect love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for me. It makes me feel understood, and I feel like I can make mistakes without judgment and be forgiven because of Jesus Christ. Having Him in my life helps me to understand my true worth." 

Joseph Hauraki recently joined the Church of Jesus Christ and travelled two hours from his home in Opononi, in the far north, to attend the temple dedication. 

"It's humbling to be invited to participate here in the temple [dedication]," Joseph said. "During the dedication prayer, I felt Heavenly Father's presence. It felt calming. I felt a huge sense of joy knowing that this is the truth. Here my family are safe. Here, my family will grow up with a sense of kindness towards each other." 

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Sister Molly Waetford has been collating the history of the Auckland Temple as part of her missionary service with her husband, Elder Howard Waetford. Together, they ministered to the people working on the temple during its four-year construction. 

Sister Waetford said, "When Elder Waetford and I moved to Manurewa, Auckland, in 1968, there was only one stake in Auckland. Now there are 13 stakes in Auckland and two in Northland." 

"We love the completed temple with its amazing designs and paintings adorning the walls. I feel the Lord's great love here in the temple and its surrounding grounds." 

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The Auckland New Zealand Temple is the second in the country, following the historic Hamilton New Zealand Temple, which was dedicated in 1958 and rededicated in 2022. A third temple for Wellington, New Zealand, was announced in 2022. 

This expansion brings joy and hope to Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. 

In the Church's recent April 2025 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced the construction of 15 new temples, including one in Sydney, Australia, and one in Noumea, New Caledonia. 

There are now 11 operating temples, five more under construction, and six announced temples in the Pacific Area. 

Church News May Auckland temple be a ‘house of joy’ and ‘beacon of light,’ says Elder Kearon in dedicatory prayer