Jenny Salesa is a New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Panmure-Ōtāhuhu from 2020 [30][39].
Salesa was educated at the University of Auckland [19], where, according to a single secondary source, she served as Founding President of the Pacific Island Law Students Association from 1993 and as Vice President of the Pacific Island Alumni Students Association from 1996 [14][17]. She is also noted, in the same single-source record, as a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand [1].
Her career prior to entering Parliament spanned public service roles in New Zealand and overseas [8]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she worked as a Contracts Manager at the Health Funding Authority in Auckland from 1995 [2], as a Policy Analyst and Project Manager at the Ministry of Health in Wellington from 1998 [4], as a Member of the Board of the Tongan Health Society from 1998 [15], and as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs from 2000 [7]. She then moved to the United States, where the same source indicates she served as a Policy and Legal Advisor to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee in Michigan and Washington DC from 2005 [5], as a Health Specialist at the Early Childhood Investment Corporation in Michigan from 2008 [3], and as a voluntary hub lead for the Obama healthcare reform effort from 2009 [18]. According to this source, she also chaired the Pediatric and Family Health Committee in Michigan from 2008 [12], the Social and Emotional Health Committee in Michigan from 2009 [13], and the Michigan Children's Healthcare Access Programme from 2010 [11]. On returning to New Zealand, she is noted as having served as Principal Advisor Pacific at the Tertiary Education Commission from 2012 [6].
Salesa entered Parliament as the Member for Manukau East on 20 September 2014 [29][28]. According to a single secondary source, she was the first Cabinet Minister from the Manukau East electorate [36]. Following the 2017 general election, she was appointed, according to a single secondary source, as Associate Minister of Health from 25 October 2017 [23], Associate Minister for Housing and Urban Development from 25 October 2017 [24], Minister for Building and Construction from 25 October 2017 [33], Minister for Ethnic Communities from 2017 [34], and Associate Minister of Education from 26 October 2017 [22]. She is also noted, from the same single-source record, as having served as Minister of Customs from 2019 [35]. Following the 2020 election she represented the newly created Panmure-Ōtāhuhu electorate [30] and, according to a single secondary source, served as First Assistant Speaker of the House of Representatives from 26 November 2020 [26].
In addition to her parliamentary and ministerial roles, Salesa held a number of civic positions, including, according to a single reputable secondary source, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Tongan Youth Trust from 2013 [9], Tongan Representative on the Mayoral Fund for the Pacific from 2013 [16], Member of the Mt Wellington Licensing Trust from 2013 [31], and Chair of the Ha'apai Relief Committee from 2014 [10].