Priyanca Radhakrishnan, a minister in New Zealand, has been promoted to Cabinet rank on Monday as part of New Zealand’s Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet reshuffle. The Indian origin member of Parliament from Maungakiekie, Auckland, was also given an additional portfolio of associate minister for workplace relations and safety along with the portfolios of minister for the community and voluntary sector, diversity, inclusion and ethnic communities and youth, which she has been handling since November 2020.
The Chennai-born Radhakrishnan migrated to New Zealand as an international student and though she faced the challenges of a young immigrant in a new country, she thanks her supportive parents for giving her the opportunity to broaden her horizons. “There have been challenges but there have also been incredible opportunities,” she had told Times of India in an interview last year. She embraces her Indian heritage with the belief that it has shaped her perspectives in several ways. “I grew up in a family where I’ve seen my parents and grandparents live the values of social justice and the importance of treating everyone with innate dignity, regardless of who they are and where they may come from. That has driven my political beliefs more than anything,” she said.
Radhakrishnan has been a community worker among the Indian Kiwis for many years and joined the New Zealand Labour Party in 2006. She finds the South Asian community in New Zealand vibrant, diverse and strong and spread across the country, contributing to virtually every field. As minister for diversity, inclusion and ethnic communities, she is leading an ambitious work programme on what social cohesion means for New Zealand and how it can be achieved. Radhakrishnan was one of the recipients of the Indian government’s Pravasi Samman in 2021.
The Chennai-born Radhakrishnan migrated to New Zealand as an international student and though she faced the challenges of a young immigrant in a new country, she thanks her supportive parents for giving her the opportunity to broaden her horizons. “There have been challenges but there have also been incredible opportunities,” she had told Times of India in an interview last year. She embraces her Indian heritage with the belief that it has shaped her perspectives in several ways. “I grew up in a family where I’ve seen my parents and grandparents live the values of social justice and the importance of treating everyone with innate dignity, regardless of who they are and where they may come from. That has driven my political beliefs more than anything,” she said.
Radhakrishnan has been a community worker among the Indian Kiwis for many years and joined the New Zealand Labour Party in 2006. She finds the South Asian community in New Zealand vibrant, diverse and strong and spread across the country, contributing to virtually every field. As minister for diversity, inclusion and ethnic communities, she is leading an ambitious work programme on what social cohesion means for New Zealand and how it can be achieved. Radhakrishnan was one of the recipients of the Indian government’s Pravasi Samman in 2021.
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