India, NZ share common values, common concerns: Envoy

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) India and New Zealand have warmand long-standing relationship and share common values andconcerns, including in areas of cou...

New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) India and New Zealand have warmand long-standing relationship and share common values andconcerns, including in areas of counter-terrorism and cybersecurity, New Zealand's envoy Joanna Kempkers today said.

Addressing a gathering at the New Zealand-IndiaSustainability Challenge 2017 here, the High Commissioner alsonoted that "Hindi is now the fourth most spoken language inNew Zealand.""We both share common values, such as democracy, andsustainability, and we also have same worries. So, that means(working on) counter-terrorism and cyber security," she said.

Kempkers said the Indian community in New Zealand wascontributing to the growth story of his country.

Sustainability is of important to us. A large part ofenergy in the country is sourced through renewable resources,she said.

"Over 80 per cent of the electricity is sourced fromrenewable sources. Also, New Zealand is planning to gocarbon-free by 2020. So, we are on the path," the envoy said.

Six finalists, whittled down from 90 shortlisted teams,presented their ideas today to a jury at the event.

"Each team consisted of two students from Indianinstitutions and one from a university in New Zealand, whoworked under a mentor," said an official of TERI, a partner ofthe competition.

The ideas pitched ranged from clean energy to wastemanagement.

The three partnering universities from New Zealand areUniversity of Canterbury, University of Otago and Universityof Waikato. PTI KNDRT.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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