Australia is being accused of breaching its human rights obligations in its treatment of refugees.

This week a video of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton sent a clear message to the 700 refugees detained on Nauru that Australia was not an option for them.

Instead he's selling the poorer, developing nation of Cambodia as a place to resettle, describing it as a as a "land of opportunity".

However Refugee Council of New Zealand spokesman Gary Poole argues it's not fair to shift the burden of responsibility onto the poorer nation.

"The actions of the Australian Government really are out of step with just about every other country in the world in relation to signatories to the UN refugee convention."

Poole contests it was only thirty years ago that Cambodia was a source of refugees.

"It is a very poor, a very developing country. It's no place that you would actually want to place refugees because it's going to put a huge burden on the Cambodian people."

Meanwhile, there are calls for New Zealand to up its refugee intake to help deal with the millions fleeing war-torn Syria.

Prime Minster John Key said an increase of the refugee quota of 750 a year is unlikely despite criticisms from his Turkish counterpart that Western Countries are turning a blind eye to the refugee crisis in the region.

Amnesty International executive director Grant Bayldon thinks it's time New Zealand stepped up to do its fair share.

"New Zealand has a tiny refugee quota and it hasn't increased in about 30 years."

Bayldon points out that given New Zealand hasn't upped its quota in the last three decades, an increase is long overdue, and we are more than capable of taking more.

"Refugees actually do very well when they resettle. They tend to work very hard, and while they need a little bit of extra support to start with, in the long run they contributed very well."