A transgender woman who was fired from her job in a barber shop after telling her boss that she was about to transition said the shocking dismissal made her want to take her own life.

Dakota Hemmingson, 23, has been in the hairdressing industry for more that eight years but found herself pushed out of her job after telling her boss at Mensworks and Barkers Groom Room, in Auckland, on New Zealand's North Island, that she wanted to live as a woman.

Ms Hemmingson, formerly known as Ahren, was handed a letter pressuring her to end her employment with the men's only hairdresser in April last year as she no longer fitted the business' 'commercial profile'.

Dakota Hemmingson found herself pushed out of a job after telling her boss at Mensworks and Barkers Groom Room that she wanted to live as a woman

'We would like to mutually agree that due to the situation you have presented to us it would be in the best interests of yourself and the business to end your employment with Mensworks and Barkers Groom Room effective immediately,' the letter obtained by the New Zealand Herald read.

The 23-year-old blonde, who was hoping find support from her employer, refused to sign and has since taken her case to to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to seek $15,000 in damages for the pain and suffering she endured after the disagreement.

Ms Hemmingson said the way her former employer reacted to her transition left her feeling humiliated, rejected and suicidal.

'This has caused me a huge amount of emotional pain, triggering severe anxiety to the point where I couldn’t even leave my room [and] depression to the point of making attempts to take my own life,' she said.

Ms Hemmingson recently posted an image on social media that marks the transition she went through to become 'the woman I am today'

The 23-year-old blonde refused to sign the letter given to her by the salon and has since taken her case to to the Employment Relations Authority

'This ordeal has broken me made me feel like I don’t have any basic human rights,' Ms Hemminson said

'Anyone who knows me knows this is out of character for me, this ordeal has broken me made me feel like I don’t have any basic human rights.'

She told the New Zealand Herald that the cold dismissal caused her to question how others perceived her since deciding to live her life as a woman.

'When someone tells you who you are doesn't commercially fit, every time you do something with a client you are like 'is this person thinking the same thing that they told me?'

'Hearing that was the most heart breaking thing, because it's a job I've done for so long.'

Salon owner Matt Swan rejected Ms Hemmingson's claim but has refused to comment further on the allegations.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Mr Swan for comment.

Mediation between the two parties has been unsuccessful which means Ms Hemmingson's unfair dismissal case will be heard by the ERA next month.