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The first Church members in Niue were Fritz Bunge-Kruger and his family, who arrived in 1952 to do missionary work. He traveled about the island and showed movies, and then, with the contacts he made, started a home Sunday School. It soon grew to an attendance of 80. They moved to a local dance hall for meetings and on May 29, 1952, a Mutual Improvement Association was organized.

The following August, 26 converts were baptized by Elder Thayne Christensen. Other baptismal services followed, and a total of 65 were baptized the first year. Because of persecution during open air meetings, activities were held quietly at first, but at times entire villages attended. The first Niuean missionary was Sionemologa Tagavaitau.

On Feb. 12, 1955, work commenced on the Alofi Chapel with a handful of members raising money and doing much of the building by hand. They were assisted by labor missionaries. The building was completed in 1958. Additional Church buildings were erected later.

About a third or more of the Niuean members have moved to New Zealand. Devastating hurricanes hit the island in 1959, 1960, and 1990. Many homes were leveled. Members in Niue, particularly the youth, have often distinguished themselves in island competitions.

In January 2004 a super tropical cyclone destroyed the vital birth, death and marriage records of the island. The Church had microfilmed these records starting in 1994, which preserved the information that had been destroyed. In February 2004, copies of the microfilmed records were presented to the Niueans.

For Journalist Use Only

Richard Hunter
New Zealand
Phone:  64(9)488-5572

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