Historic Newton convent hits market

A commanding Edwardian building on an elevated site at the northern end of St Benedicts Street in the inner Auckland suburb of Newton is for sale on the open market for the first time in 120 years.

The former convent at 2 St Benedicts Street was purpose-built in 1906 for the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop in 1867 in Australia, and active in New Zealand from 1883 with a mission to assist the vulnerable through education and charitable service.

The Sisters of St Joseph retained ownership of St Benedict’s Convent until 1984, when it was transferred to the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Auckland. In subsequent years, the building was utilised as a hostel/boarding house before becoming home to a secondhand bookseller, with occupation extending until February 2026. The ground floor is used as a retail book shop, while the first floor is used for private storage.

The convent was designed by renowned Auckland architects E. Mahoney & Son, responsible for buildings such as St Patricks Cathedral, Auckland Customhouse, and the Elliot Street façade of Smith & Caughey’s. It is classified as a Category B building on Auckland Council’s Schedule of Historic Heritage, which forms part of the Unitary Plan, and sits opposite St Benedict’s Church and Presbytery within the Upper Symonds Street Historic Area.

The two-storey building, on its original 1,368sqm site, is of predominantly brick construction with a timber-framed hipped metal roof (which needs replacing), and three corbelled chimneys. The symmetrical frontage has double-height faceted bays on either side of a central doorway and a highly decorative gabled porch.

To the south is a sympathetic two-storey addition with a single-storey faceted bay, which was built as the convent’s chapel, while a single-storey timber building, originally built as a laundry and storeroom, is to the southeast. There is circa-524sqm of floor area across the property.

Original interior features have been retained throughout and include timber double-hung sash windows and architraves, panelled ceilings and ceiling roses, fireplaces, stained glass windows, and French doors.

Cameron Melhuish of Bayleys Auckland is taking 2 St Benedicts Street, Newton, through a tender process, closing Wednesday 10th December, and it will be sold with vacant possession.

Given the location, the architecture, and the history behind the property, Melhuish says owner-occupiers or add-value investors will immediately recognise the inherent potential of the former convent and expects a wide range of prospective buyers to come out of the woodwork.

“It’s a really cool building in an eclectic city fringe location. It’s never been for sale before, and is now ready for someone to determine its future use. Just what that looks like is yet to be determined, but there’s a huge scope to add value, and it’s just waiting for someone creative to come along.”

The Business - Town Centre zoning would support commercial activities such as childcare, medical, office, and education, along with residential in some forms, but Melhuish says there’s also potential to convert it to boutique accommodation.

“The former convent is north-west facing and has good natural light with expansive city views from the upper levels. There’s a real sense of arrival with a gate and steps leading up from the street, and I can see this as a really special accommodation offering.

“A few suburbs over in Grey Lynn, a 1920s’ Spanish Mission-style building also designed by E. Mahoney & Son, which was home to the Grey Lynn community’s Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart order, has been converted to the upmarket Convent Hotel, and it has been very well received.”

Melhuish says Newton is an enduringly popular city fringe precinct, combining character and contemporary urban development that leverages proximity to major arterial routes and public transport links.

“The area is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by infrastructure investment and urban renewal projects. The opening of new City Rail Link stations next year at Maungawhau and Karanga-a-Hape will further enhance accessibility, making Newton a highly connected hub within the city’s transport network.

“This improved connectivity is expected to stimulate growth and attract a diverse mix of commercial, residential, and lifestyle developments.”

2 St Benedicts Street is subject to Auckland Council’s Plan Change 81, which acknowledges that the former convent has historical, social, physical, and aesthetic heritage value with the exterior protected. The interior of the convent building and the adjacent laundry building, which was constructed in 1961, are excluded from the heritage overlay.

“This gives a new owner the opportunity to create distinctive spaces that combine history with modern functionality, while ensuring the Edwardian character is preserved for future generations.”