Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told media the situation surrounding a three-year-old orphan stuck in a Syrian refugee camp remains "speculative".
A story published in RNZ earlier on Thursday claimed the toddler, who is reportedly called Abdullah, was the son of a deceased New Zealand citizen.
According to RNZ, the young boy's mother had been living in Australia before travelling to live under Islamic State.
RNZ spoke to Kamaelle Dabboussy, who leads a group of Australian families trying to bring their families home from the camp. Dabboussy's eldest daughter is one of the women currently being held at Al-Hawl.
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Dabboussy, supported by Save the Children Australia, has vowed to reunite the families, including the young boy, who he calls "an undocumented New Zealand citizen."
Dabboussy has contacted The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Abdullah, to figure out whether the government organisation knows about the child's situation.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asked about Abdullah's welfare at a press conference in Wellington on Thursday.
Ardern told media she would not be able to say much on the situation.
"New Zealanders will have seen the situation in Syria is very, very complex, very difficult," she said.
"We obviously don't have consular assistance on the ground, let alone in the camps where the vast majority of people and children currently are."
Arden said the country's lack of consular assistance makes "clear information" hard to receive.
The Prime Minister would not confirm to media when she was briefed on the situation but reiterated how hard it was to receive information from the camps.
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"There are literally thousands of people within them, and it is very difficult for anyone to gain access. It is a very difficult and unsafe environment."
When Ardern was asked if she would like to get Abdullah to New Zealand, she said the situation was still "speculative".
"It's speculative...we actually don't know the status of some of the individuals there."
The Prime Minister was then asked what she meant by "status".
"Where individuals are, their circumstance...their citizenship status as well. In fact, just clear information generally."
Arden told media they would "absolutely fulfil" their legal obligation when it came to the child's welfare, which includes the United Nations conventions on the rights of the child.
"I take those legal obligations very seriously," Arden said.
Ardern would not say whether she would be seeking information from the Australian government on Abdullah.
Newshub.
