News
CAPRS Named Sole NZ Partner in Global Forced Migration Initiative
CAPRS is excited to announce our involvement with the LERRN - The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network, a seven-year global initiative supported by a CAD$2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant. Co-led by Carleton University and the global refugee-led organisation...
Interview with Dr Ritesh Shah on ‘Weaponised’ Aid to Gaza
Listen to Dr Ritesh Shah's interview on 95bFM, where he discusses the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and describes the weaponisation of aid as "unconscionable." He highlights how limited access to food and essential supplies is contributing to famine conditions, and...
New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel Completes Impactful First Term
Since its formation in 2022, the New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel (NZRAP) – co‑led by Immigration New Zealand and the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies – has amplified the voices of refugees to inform government policy in areas such as resettlement, legal...
“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...