A passenger told the New Zealand Herald the woman passenger, who appeared to be in her 40s, was flirting with the person next to her and lifted her skirt.
“It was pretty out of it ... she had put her feet up on this guy’s seat in front of her and he turned around and got a shock.”
Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan said Flight NZ679 was diverted after the incident.
“Incidents like this are distressing for our customers and people, and we have zero tolerance for any disruptive behaviour onboard our aircraft.
“The aircraft was met by police in Wellington and is continuing on to Dunedin.”
At one point the woman's legs were raised to high her feet were almost touching the screen and she then had to be held down to stop her from moving.
The Herald reported the flight stopped briefly at Wellington and a female passenger was taken off the plane in a wheelchair.
