Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition and Queer Endurance in Defiance were protesting in front of Te Papa, across the road from Wellington's new conference centre Tākina, where a controversial conference was taking place on Saturday afternoon.
The conference was organised by Inflection Point NZ to stop what it calls "gender indoctrination and medicalisation" of children.
Speakers at the 'Unsilenced Summit' include Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki, former National Party MP Simon O'Connor and British activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (also known as Posie Parker, appearing via videolink).
A conference organiser told RNZ that 360 people were attending the event.
Meanwhile, a protester was understood to have caused a mighty stink inside the capital's sleek new convention centre.
Both security guards and police outside Tākina said a person - who they described as a protester - had dropped a bottle contained putrid-smelling material outside the conference centre on the footpath, but the wind had blown the smell inside.
Earlier in the week, Te Papa said it was considering cancelling the conference's booking over safety concerns, and Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said she was deeply concerned the rhetoric being discussed at the event would be harmful to the trans and queer community.
But the museum later decided to go ahead with the event, saying would actively monitor the situation.
Te Papa chief executive Courtney Johnston said they supported the rights of trans people, Takatāpui and all members of Rainbow communities.
