News
CAPRS co-Founder and co-director Rez Gardi has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours
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...
Calling to initiate a discussion to establish complementary education pathways for students displaced by war and conflict
“It was not easy at any stage of the process,” reflects Dr Ritesh Shah, Co-Director of The Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS) - Tāwharau Whakaumu. Dr Shah has many years of experience supporting education programmes in Gaza, where he first met Saleh...
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...
NZ can strengthen global solidarity over Afghanistanbn
"NZ’s priority for development and humanitarian aid might lie in the Pacific, but we can still play a small yet vital role in supporting a better future for Afghanistan." Read the expert opinion piece by CAPRS Programme Coordinator and Project Manager Evan Jones on...
UNRWA ban raises concerns for refugee support: Implications of Israel’s ban on UNRWA operations
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...
How ordinary solidarities can lead the way through extraordinary times
"A year since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which have led to unprecedented violence throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and a growing threat of regional war in the Middle East, it’s easy to feel despondent....
Radio Waatea’s interview with Dr. Ritesh Shah on Lebanon Refugees Crisis
Listen to CAPRS scholar and university of Auckland's senior lecturer Dr. Ritesh Shah's interview on Radio Waatea about the refugee crisis in Lebanon which hosts one of the highest numbers of refugees per capita globally—primarily Palestinians and Syrians—many of...
Highlighting New Zealand’s visa barriers for refugees: Examining obstacles to resettlement and the call for a more welcoming approach
Dr Ritesh Shah’s article, ‘New Zealand’s Unwelcome Sign’, explores the challenges refugees face in securing visas to Aotearoa New Zealand. The piece sheds light on restrictive policies and complex processes that hinder family reunification and resettlement for many...