Ekta Kumar was born in Mumbai to South Indian parents from the coastal city of Mangalore. She speaks Tulu, Kannada, Hindi, and English.

Ekta moved to New Zealand in 2000 at the age of eight. She graduated with a degree in Performing Arts from the Manukau Institute of Technology in 2014 and completed an Administration course at the Open Polytechnic in 2022.

For over three years, Ekta has been part of The Asian Network Incorporated (TANI) as Administrator and Communications Coordinator. She serves as the Team Coordinator for the Ethnic Health Collective, providing support to its Strategy Group and contributing to the development of the Ethnic Health Collective Clearing House website, a key resource for sharing knowledge across the ethnic health sector.

Ekta has also supported several community projects, including the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Locality Plan Community Consultation, the Devonport-Takapuna Ethnic Communities Plan, and the Upper Harbour Local Board Ethnic People’s Plan. She provides support for TANI events and programmes, helping facilitate community engagement and smooth event delivery.

In addition, she is a Community Associate for the AUT Public Health & Mental Health Research Institute Migrant and Refugee Health Research Centre within the School of Public Health and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Outside work, Ekta enjoys reading, movies, acting, modelling, and spending quality time with her parents, husband, and son.