Priyanca Radhakrishnan is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament associated with the Maungakiekie electorate in Auckland [35][23].
According to a single secondary source, Radhakrishnan was educated at a school in Singapore [13] and later at Victoria University of Wellington [14]. Earlier in her career, she is reported to have worked as a waitress in Singapore [9] and, according to a secondary source, as a Lotto girl at Pak'n'Save in Palmerston North [1].
Prior to entering Parliament, she is reported to have worked as a social worker amongst the Indian community in Auckland [7], as a violence-prevention worker in the NGO sector [8], and at the Shakti refugee organisation, which supports women of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern origin [10]. She is also reported to have worked as a policy analyst with the Ministry for Women [6] and as an advocate for women survivors of domestic violence and migrant workers [3]. According to a single secondary source, she also served as a policy adviser to Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland, on ethnic communities [5].
Radhakrishnan entered Parliament as a Labour list MP from the Maungakiekie constituency in Auckland [24], with sources placing her entry to Parliament from 2017 [22][21]. She stood as a candidate for Maungakiekie in 2020 [18] and is reported to have held the seat from that year [23]. During her parliamentary career, she served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities [33] and held roles on the Social Service and Community Select Committee as Deputy Chairperson [19], as well as membership of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee [25].
From 2020, Radhakrishnan held a number of ministerial portfolios. She has confirmed roles as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector [30], Minister for Disability Issues [27], and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment [15]. According to single secondary sources, she also held the portfolios of Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities [28], Minister for Youth [29], and Associate Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety [16]. According to a single secondary source, she is reported to be the first person of Indian origin to become a Minister in New Zealand [4].
In January 2018, she is reported to have attended the First Conference of Parliamentarians of Indian Origin in New Delhi as a delegate [11], and in July 2019 served as Master of Ceremonies at the Ninth Annual Indian Newslink Lecture [12].