New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society executive director Tara Jackson (pictured talking) said those gathered were acting as ''a voice for the voiceless''.
The protesters wanted the university to commit to using the facility for non-animal-based research. The group was joined by prominent Australian animal rights activist James Aspey.
''Animal testing causes unnecessary pain and suffering in animals, and produces false results, which ultimately harms humans,'' he said.
University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Blaikie said the term “false results” was "extremely misleading".
"Research using similar methods has played a vital part in nearly every medical breakthrough over the past few decades and has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide. It helped develop painkillers, anaesthetics, asthma inhalers and insulin, and is responsible for rising numbers of people surviving cancer."
The new facility is expected to be completed by February next year.
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Re Professor Blaikie's assertion that...animal testing is...responsible for rising numbers of people surviving cancer.
"Dear Professor Richard Blaikie apart from chemotherapy and Radiation regimes who exactly who is living longer as a result of animal testing and how are they? Are you referring to a drug of some sort. Because none of the Cancer victims I know or have known have lived longer as a result of any pharmaceutical. Quite the opposite I have seen nutritional support help those under chemo and radiation live longer than their prognosis. And of course those that have been able to take advantage of stem cell research a procedure that really needs no animals now.