A new year is heralding a new lease of life for one of Manukau’s venerable landmarks.

Selwyn Anglican Church in Mangere East is preparing for an extreme makeover from foundations to facade.

The $500,000 overhaul, expected to start in the first half of the year, will include repiling, earthquake-proofing, structural strengthening and replacing old wiring.

The 145-year-old church is beginning to show and feel its age, says architect Adam Wild whose firm Archifact specialises in restoring historic buildings.

"There are some really essential things we need to get done in a hurry.

"The fundamental structure of the building is at risk and we want to rectify that as quickly as possible."

Church organist and historian Carol Mutch says the two congregations that worship in the small chapel are looking forward to certain renovations in particular.

Sitting on the corner of Hain Ave and Massey Rd, the chapel is exposed to major wind gusts and some of the beams have split in the southwest corner.

"It’s freezing in the wind," says Ms Mutch. "We hope that’s going to be remedied."

The timber is all totara or kauri, posing extra challenges for Mr Wild’s restoration.

"We’ll need to replace it – identify exactly what timber it is and find a piece as like it as possible," he says.

The exposed timber frame with cladding on the outside is "so distinctively Selwyn" – built in a style advocated by the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand.

"It’s hot in the summer, cold in the winter and noisy. It was all part of the liturgical spirit of Selwyn – to keep them sitting upright."

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