NZ to rescue refugees seeking Australian asylum February 9, 2013 - 9:27AM New Zealand has agreed to resettle 150 refugees a year who arrive illegally in Australia. Prime Minister John Key and his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard announced the deal today and said the annual intake of refugees would form part of New Zealand's annual quota of 750. They would replace refugees referred by the United Nations Hugh Commission for refugees and be subject to Australia's offshore processing legislation. The announcement came after talks in Queenstown today. It mirrors a similar deal done between New Zealand and Australia in 2001 when former prime minister Helen Clark helped end a diplomatic standoff after a boatload of more than 450 refugees sank off Christmas Island. New Zealand agreed to resettle more than 130 of the refugees after they were rescued by the Norwegian freighter, the Tampa. Gillard and Key also confirmed joint legislation giving trans-Tasman regulatory bodies the power to cap mobile roaming and data rates for trans-Tasman travellers. In a joint communique, the two leaders said people smuggling was a regional concern requiring a strong regional approach. The prime minister of New Zealand advised that New Zealand will work closely with Australia to annually resettle 150 refugees who have arrived irregularly in Australia by boat to seek asylum, as part of a regional approach to irregular migration. Key said yesterday it was only a matter of time before asylum seekers reached New Zealand by boat.