Priyanca RadhakrishnanMP (born 1979)[1] is a New Zealand politician who has been elected to the New Zealand parliament since the 2017 general election as a representative of the New Zealand Labour Party and was Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector from 2020 to 2023.
Early life and career
Radhakrishnan was born in Chennai, India, to MalayaliNair parents.[2][3] Her great-grandfather, Dr C. R. Krishna Pillai, was associated with left-wing politics in India, and played an instrumental role in the formation of the state of Kerala.[3] She grew up in Singapore before moving to New Zealand. In Singapore she got her first job at around 16 years of age as an educational entertainer, performing educational skits for kindergarten children.[4] She attended Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with a master's degree in development studies.[5][6]
After graduating, Radhakrishnan worked as a social worker among the Indian community in Auckland. She joined the New Zealand Labour Party in 2006 and has worked on the internal party policy development process and has been active in both local and regional party organisation.[7]
At the 2014 election, Radhakrishnan was ranked number 23 on the Labour Party list, the highest newcomer, but narrowly missed out on election due to a drop in Labour's party vote that year.[8] In October 2016, Radhakrishnan was selected as Labour's candidate for the electorate of Maungakiekie for the 2017 election.[9] She was also ranked number 12 on Labour's list, making her the highest-ranked Labour member not already an MP and a significant increase from her ranking three years earlier.[10]
Radhakrishnan did not win the electorate, but entered parliament via the Party list.[11]
Radhakrishnan was mugged in broad daylight in an Auckland street after returning from a visit to Bangladesh.[12]
Following a cabinet reshuffle on 27 June 2019, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary for Ethnic Affairs.[13]
During the 2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October, Radhakrishnan on preliminary results came second to National MP Denise Lee by a margin of 580 votes in the Maungakiekie electorate,[14] but was returned to Parliament on the Labour Party list. The final election results saw Radhakrishnan defeat Lee by 635 votes and become MP for Maungakiekie.[15][16]
In January 2021, Radhakrishnan was conferred a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award for public service, by the Indian president in a virtual ceremony.[23] On 5 December 2023, Radhakrishnan was granted retention of the title The Honourable, in recognition of her term as a member of the Executive Council.[24]
