Two Baptist entities have sold a 1.37ha Penrose commercial property, valued by Auckland Council at $21.5 million, to one of New Zealand’s biggest Pentecostal churches.

Carey Baptist College and Brent McGregor,
CBRE’s executive chairman and capital markets head, announced the sale of the real estate with three street addresses beside One Tree Hill College.

Property transaction records show City Impact Church Mt Wellington bought 477 Great South Rd with the other sales yet to settle. A church founding pastor, Peter Mortlock, said today full information about the property purchase was planned to be released to the congregation in March.

McGregor said developers, investors and owner-occupiers had shown interest in 473 to 477 Great South Rd. How close the sales were to valuations is unknown.

However, McGregor said settlement was yet to occur on the sale of 473-475 Great South Rd.

All the sites are freehold and zoned business light industry.

The Carey Baptist College sold the plot of 8785sq m of land at 473 and 475 Great South Rd, he said, while the Baptist Union sold 477 Great South Rd, a plot of 3412sq m, according to the information memorandum from CBRE.

A statement from the college said that the Penrose base opened in 1994, having moved from Victoria Ave, Remuera, where it had been since 1954.

For some years, the theological and pastoral leadership training college had explored how it might invest or develop its campus in Penrose, the college said.

The primary objective was to generate significant new income streams to support the ongoing work of Carey in training leaders for our faith communities. It has become apparent, over time, that the best course of action is to sell the current campus and move to another site.

In August 2021 the college board approved the constitution of a property working group to consider options.

In 2022 the property working group met with CBRE to talk about the possible sale of the Penrose property and future purchase of another property to meet the space needs of Carey and other facilities.

The process of marketing the existing site and searching for a new location began in February 2023.

“It is likely that when we sell, we will take a two-year lease back from the new owners to give opportunity to identify a new site and complete any fit-out that might be required,” the college said.

Whether the sales are subject to leaseback is unknown.

Mike Crudge, the Baptist’s communications director, said today there would be no further comment other than the December statement about the sale.

McGregor said he and colleague Brad Ross sold the Penrose properties. The agency ran a deadline private treaty which closed on September 7.

The information memorandum said the addresses had a 122m frontage to Great South Rd. Access is via Great South Rd and Greenpark Rd. The sites adjoin other mixed-use zoned property as well as the school. Not all the buildings there are used by the Baptists: some spaces are leased to businesses.

What plans the City Impact Church might have is unclear.

City Impact Church, with a congregation of around 10,000 people, holds some services in Hoyts Sylvia Park, owned by Kiwi Property Group.

In 2021, Kiwi said it had bought 385 Mt Wellington Highway at Sylvia Park, a 7144sq m property next to the lifestyle centre where Freedom is. The building, bought with vacant possession, was originally developed as the Hertz Building but then housed the City Impact Church.

In 2018, the Herald reported how members of that church’s west Auckland branch attended Sunday morning and afternoon services at the local Westgate Event Cinemas, in Massey, West Auckland.

And unlike traditional churches, people are allowed to take food inside, with families regularly treating themselves to popcorn and ice creams while listening to a pastor’s sermon, that article said.

City Impact’s purchase is not the only church expansion in Auckland.

A soaring new multi-million dollar Manukau Mormon church is nearing completion above the motorway. The temple is for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as Mormons, although many members object to being called that.

The church is finishing the new building on land it owns at 19 Redoubt Rd, valued by Auckland Council at $36m.

A South Auckland site was always expected by those close to the church, due to the number of worshippers living there and having close links with the Pacific Islands, as well as a plentiful supply of flat land, more than the city’s western or northern areas.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.