Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is believed to be on holiday in New Zealand.

It's understood Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi was on board his father's private jet, which landed in Christchurch on Monday.

The four engine Airbus A340, with four nines emblazoned on the tail, is the same plane used to fly the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdulbaset Ali Al-Megrahi back to Libya earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed a member of the Gaddafi family was expected in the country for a private visit.

Al-Megrahi, who was convicted of planting a bomb on the Pan Am jumbo jet that exploded over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds in August because he has terminal cancer.

Saif Gaddafi played a key role in securing his release and accompanied Al-Megrahi on that flight.