Tiny New Zealand airport that tells Māori love story in running for global design award

Regional hub in New Plymouth - built on land seized from Mori in 1960 - is up against the likes of New York's LaGuardia for Unesco's Prix Versailles

A tiny regional airport in New Zealand that weaves a Mori story of love and longing into its architecture is in the running for a prestigious design award, up against international heavyweights including New York's LaGuardia.

Unesco's Prix Versailles recognises architecture that fosters a better interaction between economy and culture, and includes a range of categories from airports to shopping malls. The finalists for the airport category include the New York LaGuardia upgrade, Berlin's Brandenburg airport and international airports in Athens, Kazakhstan and the Philippines.