Jacinda Ardern says it is time for protesters camping on Parliament's lawn to move on, as they continue to face off against police while dozens have been arrested.
The demonstrators had been protesting on Parliament grounds for two nights, turning physical on Thursday.
Several arrests had been made as video showed people dragged out from the crowd.
When asked by reporters on Thursday if it were time for them to move on, the Prime Minister replied: "Yes, it is."
However, she added that the operational decisions around managing the protest was up to police.
"It is not unusual to have protest activity at Parliament, that is part of our democracy, but we do need to make sure that we keep that balance with people being able to live their lives, particularly those who live in the Wellington region or who work in the Wellington region," the Prime Minister said.
"Every New Zealander has the right to protest but when that tips into affecting business, people's ability to move, the ability for kids to go to school or emergency services to move around then obviously the police need to manage that."
A large police presence has confronted protesters, as an anti-mandate rally goes into its third day. (Source: 1News)
On Thursday morning, there were still numerous tents on Parliament's lawn and a strong police presence remained.
There were campervans, cars and vans parked in the surrounding streets of Parliament, causing disruption for commuters.
Live updates: Police haul away dozens of protesters at Parliament
The protest had been mostly peaceful, but there were instances of some protesters abusing members of the public and the media.
Ardern said she was not concerned that the protest was escalating.
"I've been in Parliament for over a decade. I've seen a number of protests in my time of different sizes - this is certainly not the largest I've seen and I've certainly seen a lot of emotion in those protests," Ardern said.
"I'm still reminded that relative to the people that are at Parliament now... tens of thousands of people went out and got vaccinated. It is not reflective of where the rest of New Zealand is right now.
"The vast majority have been vaccinated, understand why we've had to have these rules for the period that we have and can see the results - it has resulted in saving lives."
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