Candlelight vigils were held tonight to support doubling New Zealand's refugee quota.
A vigil at Parliament calling for New Zealand to double its refugee quota. Photo: RNZ / Benedict Collins
The vigils, organised by Amnesty International, were held at the war memorial in Auckland's Domain and outside Parliament in Wellington.
Organisers said there was 60 seconds of silence, for the 60 million people who were currently displaced because of war or persecution.
New Zealand's annual quota of 750 refugees has not been lifted for 28 years.
Amnesty executive director Grant Bayldon said the government's announcement this week it would take an extra 750 refugees during the next two-and-a-half years, was welcome.
However, it did not go far enough and New Zealand should be permanently doubling its quota, he said.