News
“It’s not irreparably broken, but it does need reform”: Professor Jay Marlowe Calls for Reform of the RFSC Visa System
CAPRS co-founder and former co-director Professor Jay Marlowe says New Zealand’s Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC) visa system is not “irreparably broken,” but it does need reform to ensure fairer and more practical access to family reunification. He...
New Members Appointed to the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel
We are proud to welcome six new members to the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP), who formally begin their 2025-2027 term on 1 July 2025. The new members were selected through an open and competitive nationwide process held in May 2025, which attracted a...
CAPRS Co-Director Rez Gardi Has Been Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
We are thrilled to celebrate our colleague, friend, and Co-Director Rez Gardi, who has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours for her services to refugees and human rights advocacy. Rêz’s courage, vision, and...
Dr Ritesh Shah Calls for Education Pathways for Displaced Gaza Scholars
In the Otago Daily Times article "A War on the Future," Dr Ritesh Shah, CAPRS co-director and a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, emphasizes the urgent need for New Zealand to create pathways for displaced scholars from Gaza to continue their...
Applications Are Now Open for the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP) 2025–2027
Are you a former refugee or someone with lived experience of forced displacement? Do you want to shape refugee policy, engage with government, and strengthen refugee leadership at national and global levels? The New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP) is looking...
Applications Are Now Open for the 2025 Non-Residential Fellowship (NRF)
Are you wanting your research on forced migration to have influence? We’re looking for changemakers like you! Applications are now open for the 2025 Non-Residential Fellowship (NRF) from the University’s Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS) Faculty of...
Foreign aid’s ‘white saviour complex’
Dr Ritesh Shah critiques the global aid system in his article Foreign Aid’s ‘White Saviour Complex’, arguing that agencies like USAID often serve geopolitical interests while reinforcing a “white saviour” mentality. He points out that education aid is frequently...
NZ Can Strengthen Global Solidarity Over Afghanistan
In his expert opinion piece, CAPRS programme manager Evan Jones argues that New Zealand has a moral obligation to enhance its support for Afghanistan in light of the Taliban's resurgence. He emphasizes that, as a nation that contributed to the conflict in...
Israel’s UNRWA Ban Sparks Concerns Over Refugee Aid and Regional Stability
This October, Israel passed a law banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within the country, now designating it a terror organisation. The decision has sparked international criticism, with concerns about its impact on essential...
CAPRS Receives 2024 Research Impact Award: Highlighting CAPRS’s Research Contributions to Refugee Support and Policy
CAPRS is proud to be a recipient of the 2024 University of Auckland Research Impact Award. This award acknowledges CAPRS’s impactful research initiatives, which aim to improve outcomes for refugee communities across the Asia-Pacific region. Through...