Tiki and Temple: The Mormon Mission in New Zealand, 1854–1958

by Marjorie Newton

2013 Best International Book Award, Mormon History Association

• “A detailed yet accessible documentation of the growth of the LDS faith in New Zealand.” — Deseret News
  
• “Full of wonderful and colorful stories.” — Times and Seasons
  
• “An important contribution in the study of the LDS church outside of the United States” — International Journal of Mormon Studies
  
• “A must-have in any LDS library that focuses on international Church history.” — BYU Studies Quarterly

  
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Book Description:

From the arrival of the first Mormon missionaries in New Zealand in 1854 until stakehood and the dedication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple in 1958, Tiki and Temple tells the enthralling story of Mormonism’s encounter with the genuinely different but surprisingly harmonious Maori culture.
     Mormon interest in the Maori can be documented to 1832, soon after Joseph Smith organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in America. Under his successor Brigham Young, Mormon missionaries arrived in New Zealand in 1854, but another three decades passed before they began sustained proselytising among the Maori people—living in Maori pa, eating eels and potatoes with their fingers from communal dishes, learning to speak the language, and establishing schools. They grew to love—and were loved by—their Maori converts, whose numbers mushroomed until by 1898, when the Australasian Mission was divided, the New Zealand Mission was ten times larger than the parent Australian Mission.
     The New Zealand Mission of the Mormon Church was virtually two missions—one to the English-speaking immigrants and their descendants, and one to the tangata whenu—“people of the land.” The difficulties this dichotomy caused, as both leaders and converts struggled with cultural differences and their isolation from Church headquarters, make a fascinating story. Drawing on hitherto untapped sources, including missionary journals and letters and government documents, this absorbing book is the fullest narrative available of Mormonism’s flourishing in New Zealand.
     Although written primarily for a Latter-day Saint audience, this book fills a gap for anyone interested in an accurate and coherent account of the growth of Mormonism in New Zealand.

Comprehensive Table of Contents:

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Praise for Tiki and Temple:

“Marjorie Newton’s newest book, Tiki and Temple: The Mormon Mission in New Zealand, 1854-1958, is a detailed yet accessible documentation of the growth of the LDS faith in New Zealand.” — Emily Johnson, Deseret News

“Tiki and Temple is full of wonderful and colorful stories about the rather long history Mormonism there which make for an engaging read.” — Kent Larsen, Times and Seasons

“Newton has produced a fine work, dense, historically rigorous and an important contribution in the study of the LDS church outside of the United States” — Gina Colvin, International Journal of Mormon Studies

“[T]his book is a very scholarly and informative read that is a must-have in any LDS library that focuses on international Church history.” — A. Keith Thompson, BYU Studies Quarterly

“Newton has written the most comprehensive history of the Mormon Church in New Zealand and her work should serve as an example on how to write an engaging local history.” — Juvenile Instructor

About the Author:

Marjorie Newton has published award-winning articles in the Journal of Mormon History, BYU Studies and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, as well as several articles in The Ensign. Her Tiki and Temple: The Mormon Mission in New Zealand, 1854–1958 and Mormon and Maori were both awarded the Best International Book Award from the Mormon History Association.

More Information:

343 pages
ISBN: 978-1-58958-1210 (Paperback)
Published April 2012