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December 22, 2021
Puketapu airport design has worldwide impact
Adam Gifford
Posted On December 22, 2021
Download AudioThe chair of Te Ātiawa’s Puketapu hapū says embedding the tribe’s story into the design of New Plymouth Airport’s new terminal was a great way to celebrate its origins and welcome manuhiri to Taranaki.
The terminal, Te Hono, won the award for airport exteriors at the Prix Versailles Airports 2021, beating out competition from airports in Athens, Berlin, Khazakstan, Philippines, and New York’s LaGuardia Airport upgrade.
Theresa Patu say Puketapu hosted its design and build partners at Muru Raupatu Marae to watch the awards ceremony beamed in from the Unesco headquarters in Paris.
She says the hapu’s insistence on being part of every aspect of the design rather than just supplying some surface decoration paid off.
“Apart from our people becoming visible back on our land which had been confiscated from us, the other thing was to create an embracing gateway for Tararaki. Even though it is known as New Plymouth Airport and we have named the entire precinct Te Hono, to us it is the gateway to Taranaki for all to use,” Ms Patu says.
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