A passenger on board flight NZ5409 texted their family waiting for them in Invercargill saying the pilot had made an announcement that there was a problem with landing.
The aircraft circled Bluff twice before landing safely at the airport about 3pm.
No-one was injured during the incident.
Two fire engines and St John personnel were on site plus two police vehicles.
Passengers remained on board for a time and were waiting to be towed to another part of the airport.
Air New Zealand said the Bombardier Q300 plane delayed landing while checks were carried out.
Bombardier Q300s are turbo-prop planes used by Air New Zealand on regional routes.
They can seat up to 56 passengers.
In a statement, Air New Zealand head of flight operations Hugh Pearce said: "The pilot made the decision to delay the landing to complete the necessary checks before carrying out a safe landing at Invercargill.
"The pilot notified air traffic control in accordance with standard operating procedures which resulted in a local standby at the airport.
"We thank customers for their patience and understanding."
- ODT and RNZ
