Winston Peters toured the Parliament protest camp on Tuesday afternoon.
Protesters have been occupying the lawn for 15 days.
A group of people on the lawn surrounded a maskless Peters while he visited various tents. Some asked for photos with him.
One of the protesters repeatedly called Peters "potato" and "potato head". Another protester told them to leave Peters alone, and the first protester responded they were allowed to call the New Zealand First leader a potato.
Former New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball was also with Peters.
In a tweet after his visit, Peters said he wanted to "listen to the protesters and hear their side of the story".
He criticised the Government and other politicians for their "refusal to talk" to the group, which he said was "just going to make things much worse".
Last week Speaker Trevor Mallard approached other party leaders to agree on how to engage with the protesters. The parties' agreement suggested a dialogue, but only if protesters agreed to remove structures and clear the streets.
Peters recently ramped up criticism of the Government's handling of the Covid pandemic.
His visit comes after three police were admitted to hospital after a substance was thrown at them by protesters outside Parliament.
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