Jenny Salesa once went from family to family, living in overcrowded conditions while her own family struggled to find a home - now she is a Cabinet Minister.
Ms Salesa today officially became the first Tongan born and raised - as well as Tonga-speaking - Cabinet Minister, assuming responsibility the portfolios of Building and Construction and Ethnic Communities.
She is also Associate Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Associate Health and Associate Education.
"I am immensely proud, as an immigrant and as a Pacific woman, to show that anyone who comes here can dream big and can be successful, through perseverance and hard work, at whatever they set out to do," she said in a release.
Ms Salesa's family came to New Zealand when she was 16, and the next few years were spent sharing homes with other families in overcrowded conditions.
She attended University of Auckland and graduated with degrees in Education and Law, as well as helping to found the Pacific Island Law Students' Association.
"New Zealand was a land of opportunity for me and as a Cabinet Minister I can play a part in ensuring it remains so for everyone who chooses to live here."
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