The incident occurred shortly after passengers bordered NZ990 from Auckland to Apia.
An Air NZ spokesperson said the passenger was “offloaded” and “all checked bags, carry-on bags, and passengers were re-screened".
Aviation security also had to check the aircraft.
The commotion resulted in the flight being delayed by around four hours.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this caused our passengers. We take all security incidents seriously,” the airline said.
Police said it had been reported a threatening comment had been made by a passenger.
