Wat
Wat Buddhacheymahaneath
Wat Buddhacheymahaneath is a Khmer Theravada Buddhist temple on Dart Crescent in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand.[1][2] Also known as the Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Temple, it was founded by the Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust and is led by the Venerable Suthep Surapong.[3][4][5] Its name appears in several spellings, including Wat Buddhacheymahaneat, Wat Buddha Chaya Mahanath and Wat Buddhachayamahanath.[1][5][2]
History
A young monk came to Wellington in the summer of 1981 and left the monkhood about a year later. A Khmer Buddhist Association formed in the city in 1982. In 1983 the community bought a 17th-century Buddha image at auction with a $6,000 loan from an anonymous couple.[6]
The Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust was registered in 1984 to sponsor the Venerable Preah Maha Sudevo Suthep Surapong, who arrived in April 1985.[6] The New Zealand Buddhist Council credits the sponsorship to the Wellington Khmer Association, which the community formed to serve Cambodian needs.[2] The Venerable Suthep spent eight weeks at the refugee reception center in Mangere and then lived at 250 Coutts Street, Kilbirnie.[6] He settled in Wellington in 1985 and went on to establish the Island Bay temple. He led the Wellington Khmer Association and the Cambodian Buddhist communities of Wellington and Palmerston North in finding land for it.[7][2]
Sources differ on the year the temple was built. The 2008 University of Auckland thesis dates the building of Wat Buddha Jaya Mohaneart at 8 Dart Crescent to 1985, and the New Zealand Buddhist Council dates it to 1986.[6][2] The site began as a small piece of land with a house.[2]
In 1990 the Trust proposed a two-story meeting place in Island Bay, which a local newspaper called the city's first Buddhist monastery. Trust spokesman Hient Kung said that almost all Cambodians in Wellington were Buddhists and had no official place to meet, talk and pray. Elders and monks were then meeting for prayer and study in a house in Island Bay. The Venerable Suthep was photographed holding a sketch of the planned building.[8]
Because the site was in a residential zone, the monastery needed planning consent. The proposal drew eight objections, one of them arguing that it would not serve the Island Bay community. The Wellington City Council gave conditional approval for the monastery and meditation center on Dart Street. Under the conditions, the center could hold only three festivals a year, each with fewer than 300 people.[8]
The monastery has grown since. It now has a vihara (shrine hall), a library, a stupa and a residence for the monks.[2] The 2008 thesis calls it the only Khmer temple in New Zealand with registered status, led by the Venerable Suthep rather than by an association.[6]
Sangha
The New Zealand Buddhist Council calls the Venerable Suthep the first Cambodian monk to bring Theravada Buddhism to New Zealand. In 2014 RNZ profiled him as a 78-year-old monk who had escaped the Pol Pot regime and arrived in 1985. In April 2024 the Governor-General's office named him Senior Venerable Suthep Surapong MNZM.[2][5][3] BuddhaNet lists the Reverend Suthep Surapong as the temple's main contact.[1]
In 2025 the Council also listed the Venerable Nhanasaro Yarang Mom, the Venerable Kanapalako Som Srey and the Venerable Bavittadhammo Somoeun Sok at the temple.[2]
Religious life
The temple follows the Theravada tradition of Cambodia.[1] It is a community, education and spiritual center for Khmer people and for Buddhists in general.[2] The Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust works with the Wellington Khmer Association Inc. to preserve Cambodian culture, community wellbeing and Buddhism.[9]
The year opens with New Year's Day on January 1. Magha Puja falls in February or March, Khmer New Year in April and Visakha Puja in May. The monks then keep their three-month rains retreat. Ancestors' Day follows in September or October, and the robe offering in October or November.[9]
In April 2024 Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and Dr. Richard Davies attended the Cambodian New Year festival at the temple. Members of the community prepared the food, and the Senior Venerable Suthep Surapong gave a blessing.[3]
Associations
Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust (associated organization).[10]
The trust was registered in 1984 to sponsor the Venerable Suthep Surapong and proposed the Island Bay monastery in 1990. The sources do not state whether it owns or operates the site today.
Wellington Khmer Association Inc. (associated organization).[11]
The Council credits the association with sponsoring the Venerable Suthep Surapong in 1985; the Ethnic Communities directory names it as the trust's partner.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 BuddhaNet World Buddhist Directory, New Zealand
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 New Zealand Buddhist Council, Together in Aotearoa (2025)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Governor-General of New Zealand, Cambodian New Year Festival (2024)
- ↑ National Cambodian American Organizations directory (2014)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 RNZ Voices, Beloved monk of Wellington's Cambodian community (2014)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Man Hau Liev, Adaptation of Cambodians in New Zealand (University of Auckland thesis, 2008)
- ↑ Te Ara, Cambodians: Refugee settlement
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Southern Bays History, Theravada monastery
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ethnic Communities directory, Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust
- ↑ Ethnic Communities directory, Wellington Cambodian Buddhist Trust
- ↑ New Zealand Buddhist Council, Together in Aotearoa (2025)