Airways says the drone was spotted by a plane flying into the city at just after 6.30pm.
The drone was operating at 600 feet, 3km from the end of the runway in the Evans Bay area.
Pilots on the ground at the airport could see it operating for another 23 minutes.
Airways, which controls all domestic and international air traffic within the country's airspace, said the drone was operating in controlled airspace and the police were called.
It confirmed that there was not a near-miss between the drone and any planes.
According to the civil aviation rules drones are not supposed to be flown higher than 400 feet, or closer than 4km from any aerodrome.
Wellington Airport said flights were delayed for about 15 minutes at the airport.
Flights have now resumed.
