Priyanca Radhakrishnan became New Zealand’s first Indian-origin minister on Monday after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern inducted five new ministers into her executive.
‘Today has been an incredibly special day. I’m feeling a lot of things including an overwhelming sense of privilege to become part of our government,’ said the 41-year-old Labour Party leader.
In a Facebook post, Radhakrishnan thanked everyone who congratulated her. ‘Humbled to be appointed a Minister and I’m looking forward to working with an incredible line up of Ministerial and caucus colleagues this term (sic),’ she wrote.
Born in India, she completed her schooling in Singapore before moving to New Zealand to pursue her higher education. She has spent most of her life advocating on behalf of unheard voices including women survivors of domestic violence, exploited migrant workers etc, reported The Hindu.
She was first elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party in September 2017 and was also appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic communities.
Besides, she has become the Minister for the Comunity and Voluntary Sector and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment. She has become New Zealand’s first-ever Kiwi Indian Minister, the New Zealand Herald newspaper quoted Indian Weekender as saying.
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