Greenpeace protestors have come down from the NIWA research vessel - the Tangaroa.

Three activists have been up there since just after nine this morning.

They're protesting the ship's involvement in searching for oil off the East Coast of Wellington, on behalf of petroleum giants Statoil and Chevron.

Greenpeace New Zealand's Steve Abel says they were all arrested much earlier in the day, and police have now escorted them off the boat.