In her meeting yesterday with Australian PM Malcom Turnbull, Ms Ardern said she put urgency on New Zealand's offer of taking 150 refugees from Manus Island, but a deal with the US is stopping that being taken up.
"New Zealand isn't in the situation Australia is in. We don't have that crisis of boat people, people being exploited, coming onto New Zealand shores. All we can do is respond to the situation we see," Ms Ardern said on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning.
About 600 refugees are barricaded inside the closed refugee camp on Manus Island due to fear of being attacked by locals. There is no water or electricity in the camp.
Ms Ardern said Australia maintains there are alternate sites where refugees can get electricity and water, "but that for safety reasons some of those refugees have refused to move".
The department of human rights at the United Nations have said Australia should immediately re-start those services inside the camp.
"We should make sure people have their basic needs, of course."
Jacinda Ardern met with Malcolm Turnbull today and tackled tough topics around humanitarian issues. (Source: Other)
"It is a humanitarian situation. There is a human face to this," Ms Ardern said.
"So I highlighted again the strong sense New Zealand had made an offer, within our international obligations to take refugees and to take 150 [refugees]."
Despite this, Australia have placed priority on an agreement with the United States to settle 1250 refugees.
"We've made an offer but it is not as significant as the agreement with the United States," Ms Ardern said.
In the first official phone call between Mr Turnbull and the US president, Donald Trump referred to this agreement as "a stupid deal" that would "make me look terrible", according to the full transcript released by the Washington Post.
Amnesty International executive Director Grant Bayldon says while the rejection is disappointing, the focus needs to keep coming back on Australia to do the right thing. (Source: Other)
However the US offer still stands.
Ms Ardern revealed she did suggest to Mr Turnbull to take up both offers from New Zealand and the US, but she said Mr Turnbull wanted to make sure the deal with the US "actually comes to fruition".
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