A New Zealand airport has sparked a global conversation after slapping a limit on farewell hugs in its drop-off zone.

Dunedin Airport, in NZ’s far south, found itself in the worldwide spotlight last week after its new sign imposing a three-minute limit on hugs was shared to Facebook.

“For fonder farewells, please use the car park,” the sign instructs.

The Facebook post has since had more than 56,000 reactions and drawn more than 1400 comments.

They range from the outraged (“You can’t put a time limit on hugs. That’s inhumane.”) to the supportive (OMG! I love Dunedin.”).

Others argued that three minutes was plenty generous.

“Three minutes!!! That’s way too long. In Heathrow it’s got to be 15 second MAX!!!” they wrote.

Airport boss Daniel De Bono took to Radio NZ to defend the move, which he said was designed to improve safety and congestion around the terminal.

“Too many people are spending too much time with their fonder farewells in the drop-off zone; there’s no space left for others,” he said.

He also described airports as “hotbeds of emotion”, pointing to a study suggesting a 20-second hug is enough to get a burst of the “love hormone” oxytocin.

For those who need more time, the airport also offers free 15-minute parking in its main car park.