Queenstown's mosque, open for less than two weeks, has already been targeted in a hate crime.
Posters bearing images of Islam's prophet Muhammad have been plastered on the centre, a witness saying they were taken from satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The posters appeared at the Gorge Rd site on Tuesday, and were quickly removed by locals.
"These guys are just trying to worship what they worship, and they have every right to do so," one person told Stuff.
"Upon moving in to the Gorge Road centre they brought us food and were very friendly."
Police told Newshub they were aware of the posters, which reportedly included sexist and anti-Islam messages.
"The matter is being investigated and police are working with the Islamic Centre," a spokesperson said.
"Police are taking this matter seriously, as we do all reports of hate speech or behaviour that causes concern to our communities."
Images of the prophet are frowned upon by many Muslims, and 12 Charlie Hebdo staff were killed in a reprisal attack by Muslim extremists in 2015.
Newshub is seeking comment from the centre, which opened its doors on December 11. Around 60 non-Muslims from the community reportedly attended the event, which was open to the public.
Fifty-one people were killed in an attack on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019.
