[1] Laban's maternal grandfather, Fauono Tunupopo Patu had been a member of the Samoan Legislative Assembly before independence in 1962, and on her paternal side her grandfather, Leutele Va’afusuaga Poutoa, served as a member of the first independent government of Samoa and was the Minister of Lands in that first democratically elected Samoan government.

[3] Kara Puketapu the head of the Māori Affairs Department encouraged her to formally study social work, using an admission provision for the entry of over-20s.

[3] When she was 34 she was asked by Sonja Davies to stand for parliament but had declined as she couldn't stomach the policies known as “Rogernomics” that the Labour government was implementing at the time.

[citation needed] Laban changed her mind when in 1998 at the age of 44, she took a weeping call from an uncle who worked at Wainuiomata's Kensons car part factory which was closing without warning or any redundancy being offered to the 100 workers who were losing their jobs.

[11] On 10 August 2010 Laban announced she would resign from Parliament to take up a position as an assistant vice-chancellor at Victoria University of Wellington,[13] leading to a by-election in the Mana electorate.

[15][16] In 1992, Laban was bestowed the Samoan matai chiefly title Luamanuvao from the village of Vaiala, Vaimauga, in recognition of her work.

[17] She was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to education and the Pacific community.