Celebrating Three Years of Sudima Kaikōura
Three years on from its opening, Sudima Kaikōura Hotel continues to raise the bar for sustainable, design-led hospitality in New Zealand.
Delivered by Kirk Roberts, the $35 million waterfront development opened in late 2022 and has become a benchmark for regional tourism, engineering innovation, and architectural excellence.
A Vision on the Kaikōura Waterfront
Located on Kaikōura’s stunning Esplanade, the four-level, 120-room hotel was designed to complement its natural surroundings while celebrating local culture and community. Guests enjoy panoramic ocean and mountain views, a coastal restaurant and bar, conference , heated pool, and gym — all brought together in a contemporary, sustainable design.
Our multidisciplinary team provided architecture, structural, civil, fire, and environmental engineering expertise, project management, and capital investment, working closely with Sudima Hotels and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, hapū of Ngāi Tahu.
Recognised for Excellence
Since opening, Sudima Kaikōura has received multiple accolades recognising its design quality, operational performance, and sustainability leadership.
- Excellence Award – 2023 Property Council New Zealand Property Industry Awards
- 5-Star Qualmark Gold Sustainable Tourism Award – 2024
- Hotel of the Year – 2025 Hind Management Awards
The Qualmark 5-Star Gold recognition, achieved in late 2024, celebrates the hotel’s exceptional standards in guest experience, sustainability, and community engagement. The evaluation acknowledged the hotel’s strong environmental initiatives, use of Te Reo Māori, staff wellbeing, and local engagement through its “Local As” community programme.
Hind Management Hotel of the Year
Adding to its growing list of honours, Sudima Kaikōura was recently crowned Hotel of the Year at the 2025 Hind Management Awards. Sudima Kaikōura stood out for its remarkable growth, strong culture, and consistent results. The team achieved a 5-Star Qualmark upgrade, significantly reduced staff turnover, and demonstrated exceptional year-on-year improvement in all key measures.
“Congratulations to the incredible Sudima Kaikōura whānau — a well-deserved recognition of your hard work and dedication,” said Hind Management in announcing the award.
This recognition reflects the hotel’s ongoing commitment to excellence, sustainability, and manaakitanga — values that align closely with Kirk Roberts Consulting’s approach to design and delivery.
Built on Innovation and Collaboration
A project of this scale and location required smart, creative solutions. Our structural team designed a modular system using precast concrete panels, suspended concrete floors, and timber internal walls, all prefabricated in Christchurch and assembled on site — reducing waste, improving efficiency, and de-risking delivery.
“This approach helped us overcome site and labour challenges, reduce waste, and increase the efficiency of the build,” says Jade Kirk, CEO, Kirk Roberts Group. “It allowed us to de-risk the development while maintaining design integrity.”
The result is a hotel that reflects both the beauty of its environment and the innovation of its design and engineering.
A Lasting Benchmark
Three years on, Sudima Kaikōura stands as a model for sustainable tourism and multidisciplinary collaboration — where architecture, engineering, and investment come together to create lasting value for community, environment, and industry.
“We are proud of having delivered this world-class hotel, with design features unique to its coastal location.”
— Jade Kirk, CEO, Kirk Roberts Consulting
- Property Industry Excellence 2023
- Qualmark 5-Star Gold 2024
- Hind Management Hotel of the Year 2025
Photos courtesy of Sudima Hotels.
