An Air New Zealand Boeing 767 made an emergency landing at the Auckland airport on Thursday after experiencing engine problems shortly after take-off, the airline and emergency services said.

In a report by AFP, the plane, which had 206 passengers aboard and was destined for Perth, Australia, the airline said.

It said the pilot reported a problem with the left-hand engine soon after take-off and returned to the airport, where passengers were being taken back to the terminal and a replacement flight was being arranged.

'The nature of the issue is not yet known. Engineers will begin an immediate inspection of the engine,' Air New Zealand said in a statement.

New Zealand fire services said the incident was treated as a full-scale emergency until the aircraft landed safely.