In early June 1949, Russian immigrants settled in Christchurch, New Zealand, began gathering on Saturdays for evening prayers organized by Evgeny Pakhomov.

As the Orthodox community grew, meetings were held in the Sumner area, at the home of Evgeny Pavlovich, who was well-versed in the Scriptures and teachings of the Church.

In 1950, Father Alexey (Godyaev) was appointed the leader of the Russian Orthodox community in New Zealand. He lived and served in Wellington, so he visited Christchurch only a few times a year. The management of the community remained with Evgeny Pavlovich Pakhomov.

That same year, many Russian emigrants arrived in New Zealand, many of whom joined the Orthodox community. Evgeny Pakhomov organized a church choir from the parishioners, which also included Serbian and Greek Orthodox believers.

In 1951, parishioners gathered in the Opawa area, in a small cottage converted into a church.

By 1962, the community numbered about 20 families, and the cottage could no longer accommodate all the parishioners. Funds were raised to purchase a plot of land on Brougham Street for the construction of a new church.

On October 8, 1962, Father Alexey held a service at the future temple site and laid the first stone of its foundation. The construction was carried out by the parish and was completed in December 1963.

On December 23, 1963, Father Alexey consecrated the temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Today, Orthodoxy is one of the most dynamically developing confessions in New Zealand. In 1991 and 2006, the number of Orthodox believers increased by 210%. The Russian-speaking congregation numbers about 20,000 people, most of whom live in the northern part of the country around Auckland. In December 2009, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York discussed with the New Zealand Parliament the possibility of recognizing Orthodoxy as one of the official confessions.