The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the dates for the open house and dedication of the Auckland New Zealand Temple. They also announced the dates for the open house and rededication of the Toronto Ontario Temple.
Auckland New Zealand Temple
The Auckland New Zealand Temple will be dedicated in a single session on Sunday, April 13, 2025, by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The 10 a.m. NZDT dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units in the Auckland New Zealand Temple district.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
After a media day on Monday, February 24, 2025, invited guests will tour the temple on Tuesday, February 25, and Wednesday, February 26, 2025. The temple will then be open to the public for tours from Thursday, February 27, to Saturday, March 22, 2025 (excluding Sundays).
This temple was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in October 2018.
“If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord — to be in His holy house — then keep that appointment with exactness and joy,” President Nelson said. “I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”
The Auckland New Zealand Temple will be the third in the country. The historic Hamilton New Zealand Temple, the first house of the Lord built in the southern hemisphere, was dedicated in 1958. The Wellington New Zealand Temple was announced in April 2022.
Large Latter-day Saint congregations first developed in New Zealand during the 1880s. Many Maori recognized Latter-day Saint missionaries’ efforts as the fulfillment of earlier prophecies by Maori prophets, and they embraced the restored gospel. The Book of Mormon was first published in Maori in 1889.
Nearly 118,000 Latter-day Saints in almost 230 congregations call New Zealand home today.
Toronto Ontario Temple
The newly renovated Toronto Ontario Temple will be rededicated in one session by President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
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The Toronto Ontario Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The rededication will be broadcast to all units in the Toronto Ontario Temple district.
Prior to the rededication, a media day will be held on Monday, February 10, 2025. Invited guests will tour the temple on Tuesday, February 11, and Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The temple will then be open to the public for tours from Thursday, February 13, to Saturday, March 8, 2025 (excluding Sundays).
The Toronto Ontario Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley in August 1990. It was the second temple in Canada at the time.
Today, the Toronto Ontario Temple is one of 11 temples in the country. The others are the Calgary Alberta, Cardston Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Halifax Nova Scotia, Lethbridge Alberta, Montreal Quebec, Regina Saskatchewan, Vancouver British Columbia, Victoria British Columbia and Winnipeg Manitoba Temples.
Missionary work in Canada began with Joseph Smith Sr. and his son, Don Carlos (the father and brother, respectively, of Joseph Smith Jr.), who preached in several Canadian towns and hamlets north of the St. Lawrence River in September 1830.
Between 1830 and 1850, some 2,500 Canadians joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, Canada is home to over 200,000 members in nearly 500 congregations.
Latter-day Saints consider each temple a house of the Lord and the most sacred place of worship on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.