The New Zealand government on Monday has inducted its very first Indian-origin minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan to its cabinet. She is among five other ministers to have been inducted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Born in India, Radhakrishnan, 41, went to school in Singapore before moving to New Zealand to further her education.
She spent her work life advocating on behalf of people whose voices are often unheard – women survivors of domestic violence, and migrant workers who have been exploited.
She was elected first as a Member of Parliament belonging to the Labour Party in September 2017. In 2019, she was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities. Her work in that area has helped her build the base for her new role of Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities.
According to New Zealand Herald, she has become the country's first ever Kiwi Indian Minister.
"I am excited to be bringing in some new talent, with the first-hand experience in the areas that they will be working in, and reflecting the New Zealand that elected us on the 17th of October," said PM Ardern while announcing the names of the new ministers.
