The New Zealand Government has offered to send a team of five Defence Force personnel to assist the United Nations supervision mission in Syria.
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says if the offer is accepted, the team will replace two personnel temporarily redeployed to the mission.
The five staff are undergoing pre-deployment training that will be completed by the end of week and will then be on stand-by to go with 24 hours' notice.
Mr McCully says New Zealand will also provide $1 million to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to help support more than 30,000 Syrians who have fled to Turkey.
