WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand police said early on Monday that the airport in the southern city of Dunedin had reopened after a suspicious object found on the airfield turned out to be a hoax.

The airport was closed late on Sunday evening after the suspicious object was reported.

“The NZDF (New Zealand Defence Force) Explosive Ordinance team neutralised the hoax object, and the scene where it was found has been secured,” the police said in a statement.

“Enquiries are ongoing to establish who left the object.”

New Zealand has been on high security alert since a gunman killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday.