About 150 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Auckland's Aotea Square on Saturday.

New Zealand's relationship with China must be debated to ensure accusations of human rights abuses are addressed, according to speakers at a rally in downtown Auckland.

About 150 practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in the People's Republic as a cult, gathered in Aotea Square on Saturday.

Speakers at the event included Stephen Noakes, a senior lecturer in Chinese politics at Auckland University.

Stuff Sanpu He, a Chinese refugee who practices Falun Gong, spoke at the rally.

"Too often calls for redress of human rights abuses are dismissed as anti-China," said Noakes.

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He viewed the rally as "a key part of our public dialogue about New Zealand's relationship with China".

Stuff About 150 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Auckland's Aotea Square on Saturday.

"There is a risk that the tone of public debate about China in New Zealand becomes too skewed between those who are vehemently anti-China and those who are excessively pro-China."

Human rights lawyer Kerry Gore, who also spoke at the rally, said he'd assisted up to 200 Falun Gong practitioners seeking asylum in New Zealand.

The refugees were forced to flee ongoing human rights abuses such as illegal detention, torture and brainwashing, Gore said.

He had also assisted Chinese pro-democracy advocates, bloggers and journalists.

"There are many persecuted groups and the Chinese Communist Party will do that in order to ensure that it maintains power. Any sign of dissent will be crushed."

Gore said said even once they had been granted refugee status in New Zealand, there was pressure on Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs.

"There are threats made to them that their relatives in China, their family and friends might be harmed if they continue to practice, and especially if they continue to publicise the persecution in China."

Gore said he welcomed an official defence strategy paper this week, which named China as a threat.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have often been careful not to specifically call out the country in the past.

"There are some encouraging signs here from the Government, that they're actually beginning to wake up and realise they have got an issue here," the lawyer said.

The Chinese Embassy has denied any involvement in measures against Falun Gong practitioners in New Zealand.

"China does not interfere in other countries' domestic affairs," said the embassy's second secretary, Song Hailong, last month.

The Chinese Consulate's website has a dedicated section to Falun Gong, which says it "practices cult leader worship, spreads fallacies, exercises mind control, ruins human lives and endangers society".