Police reported small numbers gathered in the Octagon, in Dunedin, and in Invercargill, while about 170 turned out in Te Anau.
"They were peaceful protests with no issues and no arrests," a police spokeswoman said.
Stop the Drop 1080 protest rally promoter Angela Jowett said up to 20 people joined the protest in Dunedin’s Octagon.
The protesters collected about 100 signatures for a petition calling for an end to aerial drops of the controversial pesticide in New Zealand.
"I think a lot of people in Dunedin aren’t aware of what’s happening on their own doorstep with the aerial drops in Berwick and Mt Allan," she said.
"We are here promoting awareness of it."
The protesters had conversations with those who supported the use of 1080, but those discussions had passed without incident or tension and only one person had shown any rudeness, Ms Jowett said.
"Someone did drive by and give us the fingers, but they are obviously pro-1080 and I respect that," she said.
The group states that the aerial use of 1080 leaves the poison over vast areas of New Zealand without regard for its effects on wildlife, pets, the environment and human health.
The protests in Dunedin, Invercargill and Te Anau coincided with others around the country and more than 149,000 people had signed an online petition put forward by the protest’s organisers.
