Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has cancelled a visit to a vaccination clinic in Whanganui after hundreds of anti-vaccine protesters gathered outside.
The protesters swarmed the clinic holding signs with slogans such as "segregation is not okay ever" and "toot for freedom".
A police spokesperson said there are around 100 people present and they are monitoring the situation.
"Police are monitoring the protest but at the moment there have not been any issues."
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said Ardern's visit was cancelled because the protest was stopping people from accessing the vaccination clinic.
"My understanding is that she [Ardern] is in Whanganui today. She has had to relocate some activities because her presence combined with the presence of anti-vax protesters was actually preventing people who were coming forward to get their vaccines from being able to access them," Hipkins told media.
He said the anti-vax movement is a small but very active group.
Footage from the protest shows one woman berating a cameraperson telling them to "get some live footage so you can tell lies like you did for 18 months".
Another person can be seen holding a sign that says "bold climate action", which didn't go down well with one woman who shoved the sign saying, "get that thing out of here". Another protester can be heard chanting "Aotearoa is not for sale" - a phrase used during protests against National selling state assets when John Key was Prime Minister.
Another woman can be seen yelling into the camera, "Jacinda you are on notice for crimes against humanity".
The protest comes after Ardern was forced to shut down a press conference in Northland on Tuesday after an anti-vaccine heckler hijacked reporters' question time.
Ardern was speaking to media in Te Tai Tokerau after the Government announced a $23 million boost to community-led Māori vaccination campaigns.
But at least one person could be heard singing and chanting over the press conference and another jumped in on the press gallery's questions to ask if she could name the person who died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Forgive me, sir," Ardern said as he continued speaking over her. "Sir, I'll direct questions among those who are attributed here to ask questions."
After taking more questions from members of the gallery, the man - a member of a known COVID-19 disinformation group - chimed in once more asking about the vaccine's efficacy in Israel.
"Sir I will shut down the press conference if you do not cease," she said.
He did not, and the press conference was shifted to a new location and got underway again a few minutes later.
There were 126 new cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand on Tuesday; 107 in Auckland, 18 in Waikato and one in Northland.
