Paula Tesoriero uses an artificial left leg and is missing an ankle on her right leg.
11 Facts About Paula Tesoriero
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Paula Tesoriero graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Arts in 1998, a Bachelor of Laws in 2000 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management in 2009.
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Paula Tesoriero competed for New Zealand in the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
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Paula Tesoriero broke the world record earlier in the year and won two silver medals at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
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Paula Tesoriero was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2009 New Year Honours, for her services to cycling.
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Paula Tesoriero has been a member of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand since 2015 and has been on the boards of the New Zealand Artificial Limb Service, the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation and Paralympics NZ.
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Paula Tesoriero was chef de mission for New Zealand at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
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Paula Tesoriero worked as a senior legal adviser and manager at the Ministry of Justice from 2002 to 2016, finishing as General Manager, Higher Courts.
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Paula Tesoriero was General Manager, System and Partnerships at Statistics New Zealand from 2016 to 2017.
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Paula Tesoriero was appointed Disability Rights Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission in June 2017.
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Paula Tesoriero was announced as the first chief executive of Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People on 30 August 2022 and is the first disabled person to lead a New Zealand public service department.