Seven flights were disrupted when a female passenger evaded security at Auckland Airport's domestic departures this afternoon.
A spokesman from the Aviation Security Service New Zealand said the woman went through an unmanned walk-through metal detector at the terminal unscreened.
Security screening was brought to a halt while staff examined CCTV footage to track her down. Two Jetstar flights and five Air New Zealand flights were delayed in the interim.
All passengers on the pier had to be rescreened and a Jetstar flight had to be held and passengers taken off the plane. Queuing chaos ensued, with an estimated 500 people affected.
Police were waiting at Wellington Airport to interview the woman upon her arrival. The plane she was travelling on would also be searched as a precaution.
Auckland Airport spokeswoman Kate Thompson said earlier that passengers had been moved back to land side following a "screening issue" for a domestic flight.
Screening was temporarily stopped at the domestic terminal, and has now reopened, the airport said in a tweet.