The Church in Oceania

Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in the Pacific in the 1840s. During the 19th century, the Church spread across Australia and Polynesia. In 1919 the first Latter-day Saint temple in the Pacific was dedicated, in Laie, Hawaii. After World War II, Church growth increased in Micronesia and Melanesia. Today, the region is home to many Latter-day Saint congregations and temples, and the Book of Mormon has been translated into many Oceanic languages.

Visit the Newsroom to see current events of the Church in Oceania.

History of the Church in Oceania

In 1840, William Barratt, a 17-year-old Latter-day Saint from England, was the first person set apart to preach the restored gospel in Australia. Other missionaries soon followed, and a branch was organized in New South Wales in 1844. Around the same time, Addison Pratt, Benjamin Grouard, and Noah Rogers established branches on Tubuai, Tahiti, and other islands in French Polynesia. These congregations marked the beginning of the Church in the Pacific.

Later in the century, Latter-day Saint congregations were organized in Hawaii (1851), New Zealand (1855), Samoa (1888), and Tonga (1891). In the 1880s, many Māori converts in New Zealand understood the arrival of Latter-day Saint missionaries as the fulfillment of Māori prophecy.

After World War II, the Church experienced additional growth in the Pacific, particularly in Micronesia and Melanesia. Through the efforts of Saints from other Oceanic nations—along with missionaries and Latter-day Saints serving in the United States military—people in Guam and the Mariana Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, and other islands in the region embraced the restored gospel.

In November 1919, the Church dedicated a temple in Laie, Hawaii—the first Latter-day Saint temple in Polynesia. The Church later dedicated temples in Hamilton, New Zealand (1958); Apia, Samoa (1983); Nuku‘alofa, Tonga (1983); Papeete, Tahiti (1983); and Sydney, Australia (1984). In recent years, the Church has constructed additional temples in the Pacific Area, blessing the lives of the Saints throughout the region.

Since the 19th century, the Church has operated several primary and secondary schools in Oceania. Church-operated Brigham Young University–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center, both located in Laie, also represent the Church’s commitment to education in the Pacific. Today, Church members throughout the Pacific worship with their local congregations and serve their communities. With faith in Jesus Christ, they contribute to the Church’s rich cultural diversity and worldwide leadership.