I’m Charlotte Stoddart and I am a Senior Landscape Architect with Morgan and Pollard. I began my career with this company as an intern in my final year of study at Lincoln University and have been closely affiliated with them ever since. An international sojourn led to work in design studios in London and Melbourne for a few years before I returned to the Morgan and Pollard Christchurch office in 2011.

Today I reside in a small rural town called Porangahau on the coast of Central Hawkes Bay. I work remotely from home on our family run sheep and beef farm with my husband and one year old son. I made the move back to rural life (having previously grown up on a farm in North Canterbury) following the Chch earthquakes and was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity by Morgan and Pollard to set up a satellite office here in “the wops”. It was a new concept for us all and my geographical isolation presented its challenges, however I was determined to give it a go to in order to pursue my career. Through a combination of technological instalments, open-minded colleagues and clients, and a supportive family we have been able to make it work. I’m so grateful for the ability to do the job I love and still operate as part of the M&P team.

Most of my work is still centred in the Canterbury landscape meaning I do travel a bit. I still have a desk in our Christchurch office which allows me to slot back into city life on occasion. This is great for maintaining professionalism and personal contact. I get the best of both worlds in many ways.

In recent years I have also collaborated with Ralf Kruger from Ralf Kruger Landscape Architects in Greece on some innovative design projects within New Zealand and abroad. The successful completion of these projects, where the client and design team are globally dispersed, give further testament to the fact that you can really live and work anywhere in the world. Living rurally doesn’ t have to be a barrier to your professional career.

At present I am working part time whilst juggling motherhood and farm life. This has meant that I am now playing more of a supporting role with new design projects coming through the office. I do however have a select few projects that I am invested in and remain focused on. These include the design and development of a series of luxury retirement villages for the Alpine View Group in Christchurch and Nelson. My involvement with these projects has been on-going for many years.

What I like about working for Morgan and Pollard is that it’s a design and build firm, offering a full range of services from concept to completion. We have a wonderful experienced team with a number of contacts and resources at our fingertips. It is very satisfying seeing your design concepts come to life. Our project range is diverse, undertaking work on anything from small scale residential gardens to large scale subdivision masterplanning. This brings about constant challenges and keeps me motivated and enthusiastic as a designer.

I have been an NZILA graduate member since I graduated and are involved with both the Canterbury/Westland and Hawkes Bay branches. I was also a member of the 2014 NZILA Rising Sun Workshop/Conference organising committee in Gisborne.