RMM, in a joint venture with Baxter Design Group and Nott Architects, and working collaboratively with the Simpson family, Cequent and Davis Ogilvie prepared a development vision for Tekapo, specifically focusing on Balmoral Station and the land owned by the Simpson family.

The master planning process included on-site workshops, ensuring the development vision was not only rooted in place but had the values of the Simpson family embedded in it. An analysis of the surrounding context was undertaken to establish an understanding of the land at a regional, township and site scale. The resulting development vision will guide future projects and changes to the town, enabling coherent development across all aspects of use and the land around and beyond the township of Tekapo itself.

Within Balmoral Station, four main sites were identified. Each area was analysed, followed by developing a concept design proposal for each. The four sites comprised a large, predominantly residential and tourism area to the south and west of Tekapo township. There is a site to the west of Lake Tekapo extending from the State Highway to include Mount John, comprising a future residential area with associated recreation, commercial and tourism opportunities. The third area is a small camping ground located east of Lake Alexandrina, and the fourth concept design was for a former agricultural research site that could be developed into an educational centre for locals and tourists alike.

The development vision needed to be flexible enough to make tweaks and changes over time should thinking, or circumstances change. The master plan process was robust, innovative, and extremely well-considered. The joint venture of RMM, Baxter Design Group and Nott Architects was highly successful, with the output providing a ‘high-level’ structure to guide development in the short term and long term, both ethically and economically.