UPDATED 9.55AM: The Prime Minister has confirmed that extra Syrian refugees will be taken on by New Zealand.

Prime Minister John Key wouldn't confirm an exact number of refugees that would be brought in, or the cost. Both details are expected to be revealed later this afternoon.

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Key said the number "will be over and above the seven hundred and fifty refugees that we take annually." 

New Zealand's refugee quota hasn't changed since 1987 - nearly 30 years - although a special intake was allowed for 410 refugees from the conflict in Kosovo in the late 1990s.

The Prime Minister said the emergency intake would be over a three year period.

"We've been testing both our capacity to take people, how quickly we can take them, ensuring that we can go through the same processes that we always do."

However a review of the quota would not be brought forward.

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A global refugee crisis - the worst since the end of the Second World War - is seeing thousands of people flee into Europe, braving dangerous conditions on the Mediterranean. The UN refugee agency UNHCR has said 366,402 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, with 2,800 dying or going missing en route.

Amnesty International's Executive Director Grant Bayldon said the intake was a step forward - but New Zealand should double it's annual refugee as it lags further and further behind many other countries.

"New Zealand is down to ninetieth in the world on per-capita refugee intake. It's taken us a long time to get down that far," Bayldon said.

All political parties bar National, even the government's support partners ACT and United Future, have been calling for an increase.

Opposition parties have been adding to the pressure: Both Labour and the Green parties are intent on tabling legislation that will allow extra refugees into the country.

Labour Party Leader Andrew Little insisted the government needed to stop "dithering" and make a decision as there's a clear groundswell from New Zealanders they expect it to be significant.

"If the government is listening then there's a good chance they could do something and hopefully they will do something that is about making a meaningful difference or a meaningful contribution to alleviate a humanitarian crisis," Little said.

"If they do that, I'll be the first to welcome them."

"It is time to act, time to make a commitment. The crisis is on now. We need an emergency response now. We shouldn't be dithering anymore about the claim we need any more advice. It's time for the government to make a decision."

Green MP Denise Roche said she'll be deeply disappointed if the National Party blocks her Bill, unless it's coming through with something better itself. She’s even open to a one-off increase.

“It wouldn't be my ideal option, but it would be better than nothing, really,” she said.

The government was forced to issue a denial over the weekend after a spokesperson for the UN's refugee agency claimed they had accepted an emergency intake.

Leaders of the Catholic and Anglican church are set to issue a collective response to the refugee crisis. Cardinal John Dew from the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop Philip Richardson of the Anglican Church will deliver the joint address in Wellington this morning.

Anglican Church spokesman Reverend Jayson Rhodes said they'll be making a strong call for a collective response.

"Here is the church community willing to step up,” he stated.

He said the crisis is a major issue for the Church community with a number of different diocese ruling bodies asking for action. Mr Rhodes said they’ve been saying: “We are communities; we are willing to step up.”

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Council of Refugees is urging Kiwis to change their perceptions of refugees. The group wants the government to up the number we take on every year from 750, to 1000, claiming there is the capacity to do so.

Council president Arif Saeid said people see refugees as old, unable to work and requiring handouts, but that's actually not the case at all. Many of the younger generations of current refugees are university students and he’s described them as “assets for the future of New Zealand”.

“They are very hardworking Kiwis,” he stated.

Immigration lawyer Peter Moses said that generally speaking, refugees want to be self-supporting, and many achieve that after a number of years, however government figures on long term outcomes show the reality of what happens.

"The outcomes aren't as positive as they would be for the general migrant population - people who come based on their skills - which is probably inevitable but it is something to consider," Moses said.

"[Refugees] may not have any English at all. They may not have occupational skills, and they not be able to get around, they may not have transport, they may not have a driver's license, they may never have driven a car. It really depends on where people come from."