Priyanca Radhakrishnan becomes New Zealand's first Indian-origin minister

Priyanca Radhakrishnan on Monday became the first minister of Indian-origin in New Zealand. The 41-year-old will be swearing in on Friday, November 6.

One of the five new ministers to inducted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Priyanca will assume responsibility as the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.

The Prime Minister, who won a landslide victory in New Zealand’s General Election, said, “I am excited to be bringing in some new talent, with 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.”

Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala tweeted his congratulations.

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A Kerala native, Priyanca was born in Chennai in 1979. She completed her elementary education in Singapore and went on to pursue a master’s in development studies from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

Priyanca’s leadership qualities became apparent as a student when she took responsibility as the international student’s officer on the Massey University Students Association during her time at the university.

In 2006, she stepped into party politics, working as a policy advisor to Phil Goff who was serving as an MP then. In 2017, Priyanca became a member of parliament from the Labour Party.

Now based in Auckland, she has said politics has always been a part of her life because she was raised in a family environment that encouraged her to question the status quo. The motivation behind the politician in her remains the fact that “we all have the capacity to make change, regardless of where we are,” she has said in a YouTube video shared by Labour Party two years ago.

Reflecting a truly diverse leadership, Jacinda’s incoming parliament also features Nanaia Mahuta as the country’s foreign minister. She is the first indigenous woman to hold the position.