Key awaiting US advice on ways to help anti-Isis effort

Prime Minister John Key was not available for comment. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister John Key is expecting to receive advice over the coming weeks on further assistance New Zealand could offer to help counter the terrorist group Isis, a spokeswoman said last night.

New Zealand has been named by the US State Department as one of more than 60 countries in the coalition supporting its efforts to counter Islamic State, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Watch: Key: NZers' looking to fight with IS

It cited New Zealand among 13 allies providing humanitarian aid - New Zealand has given $1 million to the United Nations refugee agency for Iraq since June.

"[Isis] is a clear threat to peace and security and New Zealand welcomes the determined efforts to address this global threat," the spokeswoman said.

But the US had not asked New Zealand for support in the air strikes against Isis. New Zealand's air force no longer has a combat arm.

The Government expects to receive advice on how New Zealand could provide further assistance to the international effort to counter Isis over the coming weeks.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully attended a United Nations Security Council meeting last week which unanimously backed a resolution aimed at blocking funding and training for Isis and to prevent the travel of foreign terrorist fighters associated with the group.

Mr Key told TVNZ's Breakfast show that intelligence agencies were monitoring New Zealanders who showed an allegiance to the Islamic state.

"We know there are people fighting for instance in Syria [who are] foreign fighters and we know that there [is] a group of people looking to leave.

"So the genuine role of the intelligence agencies is to monitor those people," he said.

"They often know that we are monitoring them when we talk to them, they are known to us and they know that we know.

"Isis was very well funded and well organised, he said."So they present a very credible threat. I think the challenge for everyone is how to deal with that."

No decision had been made on sending troops to Syria, he said.