Jetstar NZ said on its Twitter page that the flight was delayed due to "engineering requirements.''
"We try to ensure all flights get away on time. However, it's not always possible to do so due to our strict safety standards.''
Police earlier confirmed that emergency services - including police staff and fire trucks - were called to the airport.
A police spokeswoman told the Herald they had been called to "an incident'' in the area. However, it was unclear what the situation was.
The flight's tracked path, on Flightradar24, shows it circling around the airport for some time.
A passenger told the newspaper: "[It did a] big loop around the Hauraki Gulf, then landed with a large number of vehicles along the tarmac.''
Flights scheduled after this one were delayed as a result.
Although emergency services were on hand at the destination airport - as is normal procedure when an issue is detected on board a flight - they were not needed.
"The flight landed safely in Auckland and taxied as normal to the arrival gate,'' Jetstar said.
