In 1942, Fritz and Maudina Kruger, a newly married couple, were assigned to establish the church in Rarotonga.

Around this time, Kruger and his family returned to New Zealand, briefly leaving no priesthood leadership.

[3][4] Trevor and Mildred Hamon arrived on September 12, 1946 with instructions to build a chapel.

[5][4] In 1970 and subsequent years, many members of the church in the Cook Islands moved to New Zealand.

[8] In 2017, the Cook Islands Ministry of Justice and FamilySearch International announced birth, death and marriage records were available online.

Family History Centers are located adjacent to the Aitutaki, Avarua, and Mangaia Branch meetinghouses.

The Rarotonga Mission was organized on November 20, 1960 which lasted until 1966 to more easily supervise missionary work on the islands.