Leaders of New Zealand’s Catholic and Anglican churches say their people can look after 300 Syrian refugee families above and beyond New Zealand's refugee quota – no matter how Prime Minister John Key may augment that quota later today.

Cardinal John Dew of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop Philip Richardson of the Anglican Church held a joint press conference at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Wellington this morning.

They said the response from those in both churches in the past few days has led them to believe they could help resettle 300 four-person families into New Zealand communities.

Both churches have about 650 parishes across the country between them, and Cardinal Dew says that even if half of those agreed to take people on, it would make a difference.

“That is an enormous number of people that we believe we can provide for,” he says.

Archbishop Richardson says the dioceses of Auckland and Christchurch had had their diocesan synods at the weekend.

Both unanimously agreed to support many more refugees than the quota – which has remained unchanged for around 30 years – permits.

“If those representative bodies are stepping up in that kind of way,” said Archbishop Philip, “then that underscores and undergirds our optimism that we can support a larger number than is being talked about at the moment.”

“It's about breaking it down to a single family, a single family in one community and how you would support a single family.

“That is not a difficult thing, that’s just a response of the heart, a response of compassion. New Zealanders are good at that.”

See the TV3 press conference report: