(66) June 27th, 1957
Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand.
Dear Bahá’í Sister:
I am instructed by our beloved Guardian to write you on his behalf and assure you he was most happy to receive your letter dated May 4.
He rejoices with the New Zealand Bahá’ís in the formation of their historic National Assembly. They are now firmly launched on the course of their own destiny, and undoubtedly the Faith will go forward very much faster. They have an advantage not shared by many of their fellow National Assemblies, of exclusively administering the affairs of the Faith in a small area, which means that they can function much more efficiently. When one remembers the many years that the New Zealand and Australian believers toiled to carry on the work in those two countries, with the sea in between, and inadequate funds to provide transportation, which necessitated so much of the National Assembly’s work being carried on by correspondence, one can appreciate the advantages you now enjoy.
The formation of a new National Body in any case is an organic thing, and a new and lively flow of life will go out into all the members of the Community from this Assembly.
As regards the question you asked him about the site for the Temple, this need not be a large piece of land at this time--three or four acres would be sufficient for the site if you find suitable land is expensive. If the worst comes to the worst, when the time comes to build the Temple, the site can be changed. In Uganda some years ago, they purchased a Temple site, and later, a large piece of land for their endowment. With the Guardian’s permission, they exchanged the two as the Endowment’s position was better for the Temple. So you see, it need not be too rigid. The point is to get a Temple site as soon as possible. He feels it should be in the outskirts of Auckland, within easy motoring distance, so that the friends can attend services there. Naturally the closer to the city, the better.
As you formulate your plans and carry them out for the work entrusted to you during the next six years, he wishes you to particularly bear in mind the need of teaching the Maoris. These original discoverers of New Zealand are of a very fine race, and they are a people long admired for their noble qualities; and special effort should be made, not only to contact the Maoris in the cities and draw them into the Faith, but to go to their towns and live amongst them and establish Assemblies in which at least the majority of the believers will be Maoris, if not all. This would be indeed a worthy achievement.
The beloved Guardian assures you all of his prayers for the success of the historic work you are now undertaking, and he feels sure you will achieve your goals.
With warmest Bahá’í greetings,
Rúhíyyih
[From the Guardian:]