Transcript
Peace Action Wellington's Emma Cullen says the detention model is broken and the countries' governments should go beyond closing the camps and come up with a real "Pacific Solution".
"We've got a responsibility as leaders in the Pacific to actually address this issue with a real solution and I think they need to come together and actually get rid of the model of detention altogether and accept asylum seekers and refugees into our countries without putting them through detention."
About a hundred protesters joined the march from parliament to the Australian High Commission where photos of children in detention were handed over to a guard. Among the protestors was James Harris who spent two years working with children in the Nauru camp.
"Working with them to try create a daily routine whether that was at least getting out of bed, going for a walk, some people it was playing chess some people it was I guess having a regular rhythm of trying to call or skype home, those sorts of things were able to keep as sane as possible while being detained."
Mr Harris keeps in touch with those he helped.
"I was talking to one young guy from Afghanistan and arrived by himself as a minor. I asked how he was and he said he was horrible and all the other boys were horrible. The not-knowing just really torments people, sitting in limbo."
Green MPs told the protestors to keep putting pressure on the New Zealand government not to support Canberra's policies towards asylum seekers. They say the policies are inhumane and illegal. Marama Davidson says the Prime Minister John Key who promotes anti-violence in New Zealand needs to walk the talk over the camps where human rights are being abused.
"He's a white ribbon ambassador and part of that campaign is about checking in on how your neighbours are going and if you are seeing any violence to report it and he has not done the same."
The MPs said the New Zealand government was failing to show global leadership on human rights despite being on the UN Security Council. James Harris says such protests are keenly followed by inmates on Nauru.
"It definitely warms their heart. Quite often I'd be shown photos of protests happening in Australia and around the world by refugees in Nauru and they were always very happy about that."
Canberra has agreed to close its camp on Manus Island after a PNG court ruled it went against the country's constitution. The Prime Minister John Key has said an offer to take refugees from Australia's offshore centres is still on the table.