Protesters have been chanting, "Refugees are welcome here" outside the Australian High Commission in Wellington where some have bike locked themselves to the gates.
The group, Peace Action Wellington, says it plans to stop workers from exiting to raise awareness of what they say is an abuse of human rights for the 600 refugees still at the decommissioned Manus Island.
Police at the scene have asked three protesters to move to the other gate area so workers can exit but they refused.
Five officers are now standing against the fence next to the group.
Peace Action Wellington says refugees have been indefinitely detained by the Australian government in illegal camps on Manus Island and are now being forcibly moved into even more precarious situation.
The group says the Manus detention centre was closed on October 31, leaving the people there with no food, water, power or medical care for the past two weeks.
The people in the detention centre are now threatened with being forcibly moved by the PNG army and police to incomplete accommodation in a nearby town, Peace Action Wellington says.
"The people on Manus need our help, they have committed no crime and shouldn't be locked up for exercising their right to seek asylum," said Emma Cullen, spokesperson for Peace Action Wellington.
"It is time for the New Zealand government to do more than offer to take 150 refugees from Manus or Nauru," she said.
She said New Zealand has the capacity to help the refugees and should be talking with the PNG government directly to solve "this humanitarian crisis".
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