Maori King Tuheitia Paki and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key have officially unveiled a new US$52 million Novotel Hotel at Auckland Airport, the fruit of a joint venture between Novotel owner the Accor Group and native Maori business asssociation Tainui Group Holdings.

The 263-room hotel includes a luxury gym with special facilities for airline crews, as well as a conference centre with 12 meeting rooms, capable of hosting events for up to 315 delegates. The Square restaurant offers dining pods for solo diners, with private TV screens so guests can watch a full range of programmes while they eat.

Speaking at the launch ceremony Paki Te Arikinui said much of the credit for the development should go to his mother Dame Te Atatirangikaahu who encouraged the partnership.

"My mother was always determined to building a partnership with the people of Auckland Airport," King Tuheitia told the New Zealand Herald, adding his mother realised more than just commercial partnerships were needed.

"For the majority of visitors to New Zealand, the Novotel is the first and last impression they have of the country, so the design of the Novotel has been infused with subtle references to New Zealand's natural environment, culture, art and heritage," said Novotel general manager, Paul Columbus.

There is a green theme in the hotel's lobby where guests are greeted by a 'living wall' of indigenous plants. All the timbers used in the Novotel are 100% FSC-accredited Southland maple beech, which are harvested on a sustainably-managed basis.