Announcing the New Zealand-based think-tank, aimed at supporting sustainable development in the region, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the Government had ‘‘identified the need for more targeted research on the Pacific''.
Such research would ‘‘underpin development initiatives and support Pacific decision-makers'', he said.
The New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research would work in support of Pacific governments and regional agencies, and focus on ‘‘producing the kind of hard-headed analysis that can support sustainable economic development''.
The Government had provided a ‘‘cornerstone investment'' of $7.5million over five years to establish the institute and develop an initial research programme, he said.
The institute will be based at Auckland University and the research programme will be delivered by a consortium led by Auckland University, and including Otago University and the Auckland University of Technology.
University officials have said it is too early to predict exactly how funding would flow within the consortium but it is understood Otago University is likely to eventually gain some of the funding, perhaps amounting to at least several hundred thousand dollars.
Otago University pro-vice-chancellor humanities Prof Tony Ballantyne said the university was ‘‘excited about the prospects for enhancing our nation's Pacific research capacity'' and fostering ‘‘new scholarly connections''.
These connections would ‘‘offer real intellectual benefits'' to Otago University's staff and students.
Otago University had a long tradition of research on the Pacific and the university's breadth of Pacific research meant it had much to contribute to the institute.
The collaborative research would also ‘‘create new significant research opportunities for our staff and students''.
Otago researchers were prominent in the first projects tackled by the institute.
Associate Prof Jenny Bryant-Tokalau, Te Tumu, and Dr Iati Iati, politics, were co-leads on a land tenure systems project, and Prof David Fielding, of economics, was co-leading a project on donor aid to the Pacific, he said.
