Ardern: NZ just doing the right thing

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is not budging when it comes to her stance on the Manus Island refugees, saying it is more important to do what’s right than what’s popular.

Tensions have risen in the trans-Tasman relationship after Ardern put continuous, public pressure on Australia to accept New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees from the Australian-run asylum seeker processing centre in Papua New Guinea.

Australia’s ‘‘turn back the boats’’ policy means asylum seekers are barred from entering Australia, and are processed at the Papua New Guinea centre, and one on Nauru, before being resettled elsewhere if their refugee claim is found to be legitimate.

Ardern has reconfirmed the previous government’s offer to take up to 150 refugees, but Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has turned it down, saying he is giving priority to a potential deal with the United States.

When it came to New Zealand’s position over the Manus Island refugees, Ardern said it was ‘‘as simple as just doing the right thing.

‘‘Sometimes when we take a view, it might not be always looked upon or welcomed necessarily by those we’re interacting with. But again, we’ve got to just simply do what we believe to be right.’’ Ardern said the transTasman relationship was deeper and stronger than the political issue of any given day. She did not expect this issue to cause longterm damage to that partnership.

She saw the Manus situation as an opportunity to assist Australia, and for New Zealand to meet its international obligations when it came to helping refugees.

From time to time there would be pushback on an issue, she told TVNZ.

‘‘But I still believe we’ve done the right thing.’’

Ardern said New Zealand was restoring a role it had played in the past. ‘‘When there is an occasion for New Zealand to use its voice on an important issues, we have.

‘‘I think it’s incumbent on us to use the international stage, to particularly be advocates on behalf of our region.

‘‘I’ve certainly given thought to what responsibility we have as members of an international community; where we use our voice and why. And we’ll use it in a way that’s constructive.’’

Ardern also addressed issues around defence and security.

When asked whether the Government would pull New Zealand training troops out of Iraq, she said she wanted to take more time to consider New Zealand’s role.

A decision would be made by the time the mandate came up for renewal next year.