Jacinda Ardern denies reports of NZ change of heart on Manus Island refugees

Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly offered to take refugees from Manus Island and Nauru. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has denied reports in Australian newspapers that New Zealand is refusing to take single men asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island.

The Courier Mail reports that senior New Zealand departmental officials told their Australian counterparts that this country is no longer open to resettling single asylum seeker men on Manus Island.

But a spokesman said the stories were "not true."

New Zealand had placed priority on women and children but had not excluded single men.

It was hypothetical anyway because Australia had not accepted New Zealand's offer to place 150 asylum seekers from Australia's offshore processing centres.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in Auckland today for talks his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Audrey Young

If Australia did accept the offer, they would have to pass a UNHCR vet and a New Zealand vet.

The issue will be discussed in talks today between Ardern and Australian PM Scott Morrison who has been welcomed to Government House in Auckland.

But the spokesman said it was not going to be a feature of the talks.

Ardern had repeatedly offered to take 150 asylum seekers from Manus Island and Nauru from Australia in response to what has been described as a humanitarian crisis in detention centres there.