Voters back NZ refugee offer, govt doesn't

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia won't be doing anything to encourage people smugglers after a new poll found support for New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.

The Sky News/ReachTel poll found 58 per cent of Australians backed NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's offer to take 150 of the refugees.

Just 19 per cent rejected the idea

But Ms Bishop said Australians also wanted strong borders.

"We don't want to encourage people smugglers to put people on unseaworthy boats as we have seen in the past, causing deaths at sea and untold misery as they seek to get to New Zealand and/or Australia," Ms Bishop told Sky News on Monday.

While Australia does have a deal with the US to take refugees presently in offshore detention, Ms Bishop said the immigration relationship between Australia and New Zealand was obviously far closer.