A bus turned around after protesters blocked the road.

Fourteen protesters have been arrested during fraught scenes outside a Wellington defence forum.

As bus loads of delegates attempted to enter Westpac Stadium for the forum on Tuesday, a few hundred protesters blockaded the stadium entrances.

Among those detained and dragged away by police was a disabled man with a walking cane, who said he was protesting against prison operator Serco's involvement in the forum, dubbed a "weapons expo".

KEVIN STENT/STUFF Among those detained and dragged away was a disabled man with a walking cane.

Ti Lamusse, from People Against Prisons Aotearoa, said the police treatment of the man was "massively over the top".

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"It was brutal. He was telling them he was disabled. He was in pain – he was in agony."

1 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters attempt to block delegates at a defence forum in Wellington. 2 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters attempt to block delegates at a defence forum in Wellington. 3 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Among those dragged away by police was a disabled man with a walking cane, associated with People Against Prisons Aotearoa (PAPA). 4 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF A woman tries to avoid being dragged away by police outside a defence forum being held at Wellington's Westpac Stadium on Tuesday. 5 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police attempt to stop protesters outside the defence forum, being held at Wellington's Westpac Stadium. 6 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters attempt to block delegates at a defence forum in Wellington. 7 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters attempt to block delegates at a defence forum in Wellington. 8 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police remove protesters who locked arms to prevent buses entering Westpac Stadium for the defence forum, which was labelled a weapons expo. 9 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police and protesters at Westpac Stadium. 10 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters lie down in Aotea Quay in a bid to stop a bus with conference attendees getting through. 11 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police remove one of many protesters at Westpac Stadium. Fourteen people were arrested. 12 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police remove protesters who had locked arms to prevent buses carrying delegates from entering. 13 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters confront police outside Westpac Stadium. 14 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF A policewoman kneels on a protester. 15 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Police shift a protester outside the stadium. 16 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF A protester appeals to delegates on a bus attempting to enter the stadium for the defence forum, which was dubbed a "weapons expo". 17 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF A protester is taken away by police, outside a defence forum held at Wellington's Westpac Stadium. 18 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Delegates at a defence forum in Wellington make their way off a bus under heavy police guard. 19 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters make their feeling known outside a defence forum held at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. 20 of 20 KEVIN STENT/STUFF Protesters confront police.

As each bus load arrived, police blocked off the out-of-city lanes of Waterloo and Aotea Quay but, at one point, scuffling protesters and police broke into the still-open city-bound lanes and into traffic.

About 300 people blocked every entrance into the stadium in an attempt to stop the scheduled Defence, Industry & National Security Forum, which protesters have dubbed a "weapons expo".

Shortly after 11am, police managed to get some attendees inside, despite some protesters lying down in the middle of Aotea Quay.

ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF Police hold back protesters to make way for a delegates' bus to enter Westpac Stadium.

When one bus load of delegates arrived, protesters surrounded it. The bus mounted the pavement while police formed a human shield to create a walkway in. Subsequent bus loads followed suit, each time resulting in tense clashes between police and protesters.

Wellington City Council put in detours around Aotea and Waterloo quays.

There are traffic detours in place around Aotea/Waterloo Quay, please follow the signs and take care. — Wgtn City Council (@WgtnCC) October 9, 2017

Tom Hunt / Stuff A bus load of conference attendees managed to get past protesters with police help.

Earlier, the protesters said they had all but halted the expo, despite police intervention.

Protesters surrounded the stadium from about 6am, and blocked an entrance to the stadium with a sign saying "expelliarmus".

Some hung many metres from pillars surrounding entrances to the stadium, blocking them with ties that, if cut, would have meant they fell to the ground.

Tom Hunt/STUFF Protesters blockade "weapons expo" at Westpac Stadium.

Others simply lay on the road whenever a new bus arrived.

Wellington police operations manager Inspector Neil Banks said that, by 10.45am, five people had been arrested for obstructing a roadway.

By 5.30pm, 14 people had been arrested, with five released with pre-charge warnings.

Nine were freed on bail, to appear in court at a later date.

"Police must balance the lawful right to protest against the public's right to go about their daily business without being disrupted by protest action," Banks said.

"We are disappointed that a number of protesters behaved in a way that created safety issues, disrupted traffic, and caused delays that inconvenienced the wider public."

He said police were aware of allegations made about police conduct and reminded "anyone with concerns that there are several avenues available to them if they wish to make a complaint".

The previous NZDIA expo in Wellington, in 2015, was marred by the mass arrest of protesters – most on trespassing charges, which were dropped earlier this year after a lengthy court battle with police.

Protest organiser Jessie Dennis said the arrests were "outrageous", and she expected all of the charges would be dropped.

"These people are human rights defenders, and we should thank them for their work in making the world a safer and more peaceful place ... we will be supporting them through any court process whatever the outcome.

"The heavy-handed and violent actions of the police in protecting and attempting to escort delegates inside was shameful."

CONTROVERSIAL FROM THE START

Last month, and after pressure from activists, Wellington Mayor Justin Lester agreed the controversial arms industry forum should not return to any Wellington City Council sites.

Lester said the expo, the main sponsor of which was nuclear weapons and arms giant Lockheed Martin, was "not an appropriate event for a civic venue". The council wanted to steer clear of any associated conflict.

The event could go ahead at Westpac Stadium, because it is not under the council's control.

Instead, the stadium is managed by the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust – a charitable trust jointly settled by the city council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.

NZDIA deputy chairman Andrew Ford said labelling the forum a "weapons expo" was "stretching the truth" and the event was mainly about bringing together suppliers of services and products to support the defence and national security sectors, not weapons.

Most people would support New Zealand's defence forces being properly equipped to defend themselves and fulfil their peacekeeping duties, he said.