WELLINGTON - Two New Zealand universities will host new government-funded research institutes to bolster understanding of the Asia-Pacific region, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

The Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence at the University of Auckland and Wellington's Victoria University will specialize in the languages, cultures, politics and economics of countries or groups of countries in the region, says Goldsmith.

Auckland will lead a group of universities in the North Asia center, covering China, Japan and South Korea, while Victoria will lead two centers, one focusing on Southeast Asia and one on Latin America.