Honoring the past and preparing for the future.

Temple View New Zealand is an unique community founded on faith. It was built with the love, dedication and fervent hope of an army of labour missionaries and the fledgling mission that supported them and their families.

Although the Church College of New Zealand (CCNZ) is now closed for good, the buildings that supported the operations of the school continue to be invaluable to the community and the larger New Zealand LDS population. It is not the intention of the supporters of this blog to start a dialogue around the closure of CCNZ or engage in a debate on reopening it in any form.

The buildings and campus of the former CCNZ have been witness to the visits of Prime Ministers, Queens, Government officials and important leaders including multiple Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the express aim of this blog and the supporters of it to highlight and share the rich cultural heritage of the buildings, community and the individuals who contributed to it over the past 60 years. The David O. Mckay building was a first in Hamilton as a multipurpose event centre hosting concerts and visiting groups such as the world famous Harlem Globe Trotters. This centre played a pivotal role in providing a space for civic and community functions for the rapidly expanding Hamilton.

We encourage all who have examples of this heritage to share your stories, your photos and your love of this unique community and the landmark structures that are monuments to an extraordinary legacy.

The supporters of this blog respectfully acknowledges the need for additional LDS religious meeting space and private housing within the community. We do not believe that the plan being presented by the Envisioning NZ is the only viable option available. We seek to create a dialogue to explore additional options that preserve key buildings and enable the needs and future growth of a modern community to be met.

This blog, and supporters of it firmly believe that the heritage of this community is worth preserving. The unique architectural aesthetic and social fabric making it a unique community in New Zealand is worth preserving.

The content of Legacy Temple View NZ will consist of the following:

1. Detailed information concerning the inception, development and history of Temple View and the Church College of New Zealand.
2. Shared stories, personal and public photos and memories of Temple View and the Church College of New Zealand.
3. A chronological history of developmental plans and actions of all parties involved starting when the closure of the Church College of New Zealand was announced. This will include but not be limited to:  #Plans presented for the development of the former campus of CCNZ. #Minutes, emails and other correspondence regarding public meetings, local council processes and other related publicly available developments. #Engineering reports and other relevant documents. 

The intent is to inform, inform, inform. The plans presented are not set in concrete. An open, frank and respectful community dialogue can be conducted to find a suitable compromise. We encourage all who wish to have their opinions heard, to participate, contribute and be counted. 

If you have any questions, or wish to contribute please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Naku noa na,

Brett Stirling

Site administrator