Actor Russell Crowe said "I believe I could house and find jobs for six [Manus asylum seekers]. I'm sure there'd be other Australians who would do the same."

Actor Russell Crowe has lashed out at Australia's handling of the escalating situation at the Manus Island detention centre, labelling it a "nation's shame" and offering to house and support refugees himself.

More than 600 men are refusing to leave the now-decommissioned centre in Papua New Guinea and relocate to alternative accommodation.

They have expressed concerns for their safety, and asylum seeker advocates say the facilities are not ready.

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY Ardern said she would raise the issue of Australia's tough treatment of asylum seekers, including the men on Manus, in her first meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also reiterated New Zealand's offer to take 150 refugees annually from Australia's detention centres, and said she would raise the issue of Australia's tough treatment of asylum seekers, including the men on Manus, in her first meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this weekend.

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Ardern said New Zealand was "lucky" not to be dealing with a situation like Australia's.

REUTERS Refugees and asylum seekers at a controversial detention center have barricaded themselves inside to try thwart attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea to shut it down.

"I am looking forward, though, to having a conversation directly with the Prime Minister on Sunday about some of those issues - and New Zealand's role and view on Manus Island in particular," she said.

The Turnbull government has maintained that PNG authorities are responsible for protecting the detainees and has previously declined to take up New Zealand's offer.

As the stand-off enters its third day, the men have been drinking and washing in water collected in rubbish bins at the centre.

A long-time resident of Australia, the New Zealand-born Crowe weighed in on Twitter on Wednesday night.

"Manus. A nation's shame. Lives held in limbo. Lives lived in fear and despair. It's f---ing disgraceful," he said.

He said he had contemplated what he could personally do to help.

"I believe I could house and find jobs for six. I'm sure there'd be other Australians who would do the same," he added.

Best-known for his roles in Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, Crowe has in the past indicated support for progressive politicians such as former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard and former US president Barack Obama.

Ardern's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Winston Peters, has criticised the offer to resettle refugees in New Zealand in the past.

"That was an offer made by the previous administration. At this point in time, we've had no discussions on it inside this coalition," he said last week.

Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the men should move to the new accommodation and said advocates were making a "very difficult situation even worse".

"We've got a deal with the United States to move 1200 people. I want to close Manus as quickly as possible, but it doesn't help when you've got the Greens and others who are telling people not to engage, not to move," he told the Nine Network.

As of last month, about 50 detainees from Manus and Nauru had left for the US.

Lawyers were hopeful the PNG government could dramatically intervene in the desperate situation by reopening the abandoned centre or striking a resettlement deal with New Zealand.

PNG lawyer Ben Lomai had applied for an injunction that would force the local government to re-establish the facility's essential services. He was expecting a decision from the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Lomai and Australian barrister Greg Barns suggested PNG could deal directly with New Zealand to solve the crisis.