Uncle Hec's home in line for a facelift

A run-down Freemans Bay mansion valued at $3.25 million that featured in The Hunt for the Wilderpeople movie is set for a makeover.

Consent has been granted to relocate the 1880s Victorian architectural gem on the property, allowing for a single-level addition, while consent for subdivision of the land and a new family home is pending.

The house featured in the movie as the home that Uncle Hec, played by Sam Neill, stayed at towards the end of the film.

Owner Simon Dunlop said the plan was to give the whole place a facelift when all the consents were approved.

"We are restoring it. We want to retain the heritage of the area."

The once glorious stately home has been a long-standing presence on Auckland's Hepburn St.

For decades it served as a home for young Maori women, before it was put up for sale in 2014 because of mounting maintenance costs.

Dunlop planned to move into the new home with wife, Saffron, and young boy, 20 months.