The CAPEs are funded by the NZ government through the Tertiary Education Commission. The CAPEs programme was allocated $34.5 million over four years in the Government’s 2016 Budget.
The CAPEs aim to foster knowledge and to build cultural and economic ties between New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. There are three CAPEs focusing on North Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, respectively. Each CAPE is committed to helping businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as learners, teachers, exporters, and communities to improve their understanding of the Asia-Pacific and its many cultures and languages.
Learn more about the North Asia CAPE
The CAPEs are a university-led initiative supported by a consortium of New Zealand’s leading tertiary institutions: the University of Auckland, the University of Waikato, the University of Otago, and Victoria University of Wellington. The universities have deep expertise in business, language, culture, history and politics in the Asia-Pacific region. Together they offer strategic linkage between academic research and business-focused expertise. The North Asia CAPE, which focuses on Greater China, Japan, and Korea, is hosted by the University of Auckland. Victoria University leads the SEA CAPE, which works to enhance the way New Zealanders understand and do business with the ten ASEAN countries and Timor Leste. Victoria University also leads the Latin America CAPE, which helps ensure engagement with Latin America’s most economically robust and and trade-friendly countries.
Learn more about the North Asia CAPE
All three CAPEs are about capability-building for New Zealanders to make them better prepared to respond to the opportunities of engaging with the Asia-Pacific region.
There are already a number of organisations dedicated to strengthening business and cultural relationships across the Asia-Pacific. However, the CAPEs are unique in their cross-institutional and multi-sector approach that bridges cutting-edge research and industry expertise. Further, while the CAPEs share a common goal of strengthening New Zealand’s economic and cultural ties with the Asia-Pacific, each CAPE has its own approach to achieving this goal. The North Asia CAPE is focused on building business across cultures in Greater China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Japan, and Korea, and on strengthening language pathways for learners of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. The SEA CAPE aims to equip New Zealanders to engage with and do business with the ASEAN countries and Timor Leste. The Latin America CAPE showcases and optimises the potential for profitable business connections across Latin America's largest economies and most trade-friendly countries.
Learn more about the North Asia CAPE
North Asia CAPE is currently consulting its stakeholders in the business and education sectors to better meet changing needs in the midst and aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
New initiatives include our ‘North Asia Post-Covid’ series of online webinars and interactive workshops, and the ongoing digitisation of existing programmes to meet practical and health requirements.
New programmes informed by stakeholder feedback will continue to be introduced in 2020 and beyond.
We welcome your involvement, comments, and questions. There are a number of way to keep up to date with our news, events, and initiatives. Connect with the North Asia CAPE.
The North Asia CAPE works alongside a wide range of public and private organisations and businesses dedicated to supporting New Zealand’s economic and cultural relationships in the Asia-Pacific. These include NZ Trade and Enterprise, the Asia New Zealand Foundation, Export New Zealand, business councils such as NZ China Trade Association, Korea NZ Business Council, Japan NZ Business Council, the chambers of commerce, and regional economic development agencies throughout New Zealand. Read more about the North Asia CAPE
The North Asia CAPE, NZTE, and ANZF all share common goals in terms of strengthening New Zealand’s ties with Greater China, Japan, and Korea. To that end, the North Asia CAPE is committed to offering programmes and initiatives that complement those services provided by NZTE and ANZF. We will work with with these organisations to deliver outcomes on joint objectives.
The North Asia CAPE supports New Zealand businesses engaged in North Asia through a range of resources, short courses, experts, events, and networking opportunities to connect you with a community of businesses already working in the region. If you don’t find what you are looking for on our website, please email your comments and questions at or connect here.
The North Asia CAPE offers tailored short business courses that can help businesses ask the right questions before making big export decisions. Read more about the North Asia CAPE's Business Short Courses.
Yes. The North Asia CAPE hosts and supports a number of networking opportunities for small, medium, and large businesses alike. Our Tuesday Talks are a great occasion to meet like minded professionals, and our nationwide seminars and partner talks provide opportunities to meet diverse groups of businesses and people.
We recognise that small and medium businesses, especially outside the main centres, may struggle to get the support they need. Large, established companies have internal resources and can also rely on the support of NZTE. We have a number of offerings that are particularly tailored to small and medium enterprises. In particular, we offer short courses for evaluating markets and building relationships, which helps smaller companies develop their own in-house tools and analyses.
Read more about the North Asia CAPE's Business Short Courses here.
The NA CAPE is committed to supporting those who teach Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages, across all levels of proficiency. In April, the North Asia CAPE Secondary Schools' Leadership Conference will bring together teachers and secondary students studying Chinese, Korean, and Japanese for a one-day language and culture conference at the University of Auckland.
Learn more about the Secondary Schools' Leadership Conference
No. All CAPE scholarships are available to NZ resident students from all New Zealand universities.
Find more information about the North Asia CAPE education programmes and check your eligibility here.