An early manuscript of the translation of the Book of Mormon into Maori has been discovered and released in the online Church History Catalog.
The 900-page manuscript dates back to 1888, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Several people are credited with the translation, including missionaries and local Maori members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Maori members wanted to have the Book of Mormon translated into their indigenous language since the early 1880s, according to the Pacific Area Church history manager, Melanie Riwai-Couch.
“The caliber of Maori translators was very high,” she said.
Riwai-Couch said the handwritten manuscript was the final printer’s copy and credited the handwriting to an early missionary, Sister Georgina Marriott.
Others credited with the work of translating include: Maori leader John Hoani Te Whatahoro Jury, (Ngāti Kahungunu), Henare Potae (Ngāti Porou), Te Pirihi Tutekohe (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti), Piripi Te Maari (Ngātu Kahungunu) and others.
“This historical record of the early translation of the Book of Mormon into Maori is a testimony to the importance of this sacred record to the early Maori Saints,” said Elder Peter F. Meurs, General Authority Seventy and president of the Pacific Area.
The manuscript written in Maori is available now in the online Church History Catalog.
Translations of the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon has been translated into 115 written languages. Most languages have full translations, but some have only selected portions. These are available through the Church’s online store and distribution centers, and/or digitally, in the Gospel Library, on the Church’s website and in the Book of Mormon app.
The first translation of the Book of Mormon into English was completed in 1830, followed by Danish in 1851, German, French, Italian and Welsh in 1852, and Hawaiian in 1855.
Translation work is an ongoing effort. The most recent translation was completed in Sesotho, which is available from 1 Nephi through Mosiah 8.
There are also Book of Mormon resources in American Sign Language, English Braille, Spanish Braille and Portuguese Braille.
History of the Church in New Zealand
Around 118,000 Church members in more than 226 congregations reside in the South Pacific island nation.
The first convert of the Church in New Zealand was baptized in 1854, but large congregations did not develop until the 1880s.
The New Zealand Missionary Training Center opened in 1977 and is the only Oceania MTC currently in operation.
The Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated in 1958, becoming a place for Saints in the South Pacific to worship in the house of the Lord and the first temple in the Southern Hemisphere. The temple was primarily built by labor missionaries.
The Auckland New Zealand Temple will be dedicated on April 13, 2025.
A third temple, the Wellington New Zealand Temple, was also announced in 2022, with an exterior rendering released in June 2024.
