Bought for $1.32 Million, Sold for $4.25 Million: Two Near-Derelict Auckland Churches Become Luxury Homes

• Two former St Augustine’s Anglican church buildings in Devonport, Auckland, sold for NZ$4.25 million
• The owners bought them in 2017 for $1.32 million and spent millions converting them
• An 1865 wooden chapel became a four-bedroom home; a 1920s brick church became a loft-style residence
• An earlier sale collapsed when the Commerce Commission blocked the buyer’s funding deal

Two historic former Anglican church buildings on Calliope Street in Devonport, Auckland, have sold for NZ$4.25 million after more than two years on the market, OneRoof reported on November 2, 2025.

Leslie Harris, founder of the First Home Buyers Club, and her husband Wayne Kelly bought the former St Augustine’s churches in 2017 for $1.32 million, when they were near-derelict. Over six years they invested millions turning them into luxury homes. The white wooden chapel, built in 1865, became a four-bedroom house, while the 1920s red-brick church was redesigned in a New York loft style.

The sale was not straightforward. An earlier buyer’s deal collapsed after the Commerce Commission rejected the sale of his business to an overseas company, which was to fund his purchase. “Every month we would go, ‘We are going to hear that we are unconditional’…the New Zealand Commerce Commission don’t look to be clearing this deal,” Harris said.

The final buyer was not named. Harris said the proceeds would fund her next venture, designing high-end rammed-earth homes.

The Devonport conversion shows both the potential and the cost of turning redundant church buildings into homes. Old churches offer high ceilings, character and good locations, but bringing them up to residential standard takes years and a large budget. For Jamaican churches with surplus buildings, selling to a buyer with the means to restore them can preserve the structure and release capital. For investors, the Auckland numbers are a reminder that the purchase price is only the beginning.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com