Priyanca Radhakrishnan, New Zealand’s First Indian-Origin Minister

New Delhi: Priyanca Radhakrishnan became New Zealand’s first-ever Indian-origin minister after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern inducted her into the executive, along with four others ministers.

She was appointed as the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities as well as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment on Monday, PTI reported.

Radhakrishnan, an advocate for women survivors of domestic violence and migrant workers, has become New Zealand’s first-ever Kiwi Indian Minister, the New Zealand Herald newspaper quoted Indian Weekender as saying, the PTI report added.

Radhakrishnan worked in the role of Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities in 2019.

Declaring the names of her new ministers, Prime Minister Ardern said, “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…Within this lineup, I’m playing to people’s strengths.”

“This is a Cabinet and an executive that is based on merit but also happens to be incredibly diverse,” she added.

The new executive will be sworn in on Friday, PTI reported.