Alt-right extremists Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux arrive in NZ

Two alt-right Canadian speakers have arrived in New Zealand ahead of an event in Auckland tomorrow night.

Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern were pictured arriving at Auckland Airport today, posing under a Māori carving at the Arrivals hall.

The pair's on-again, off-again visit to this country sparked a debate about free speech after Auckland Mayor Phil Goff blocked them from using council venues, saying he did not want such spaces used to stir up ethnic tensions.

They cancelled the trip after the setback but later reconfirmed plans to speak here after the promoter found a new venue.

Protests are planned by anti-racism groups outside the their Auckland venue, which is being announced by the promoter at the last minute.

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has said he personally felt their views were repugnant but that there was no grounds to reject their visas. He dismissed claims that they had been banned from other countries, saying they were prevented from entering for specific purposes.

Some groups called for their visas to be declined because their anti-immigration, anti-Islam views amounted to hate speech.

In Australia, Molyneux and Southern made highly inflammatory statements about Aboriginal culture and history.

Ahead of their arrival, Māori political commentator and writer Morgan Godfery highlighted the carving at the airport, saying it would tell the Canadian extremists that they were not welcome in this country.

when lauren southern and stefan molyneaux step foot off the plane this is the first thing they'll see. i hope it signals to them that they're not welcome here. pic.twitter.com/bjZSXtfZyd

— Morgan Godfery (@MorganGodfery) July 29, 2018