New Asia–Pacific and Latin America centres at Victoria
Victoria University has welcomed an announcement by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith that the University will host two Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPEs).
CAPEs are cross-institutional centres of excellence in the language, culture, politics and economics of countries or groups of countries within the Asia-Pacific region. As well as teaching about and researching these countries, each CAPE will help learners, exporters and government agencies improve their understanding of the countries and their languages.
Victoria University Provost Professor Wendy Larner said Victoria is delighted to lead the South East Asia CAPE and the Latin America CAPE, and to be working with other universities and partner organisations, including the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Latin America New Zealand Business Council.
Professor Larner says Victoria’s successful bid to host the Latin America and Southeast Asia CAPEs reflects the University’s long history of international engagement and its reputation as New Zealand’s globally ranked capital city university.
“The CAPEs initiative will help deepen New Zealand’s economic and cultural connections with the region by providing intelligence and knowledge that will facilitate increased engagement.”
The three CAPEs are part of the Innovative New Zealand package in Budget 2016, and are funded by a $34.5m Government investment over four years.