Karunanidhi (Karuna) Muthu is a self-employed lawyer and business strategist based in Strathmore Park.

“I’ve called Rongotai home for more than 20 years and it’s an honour to have the opportunity to campaign here for a National Government.”

“I’m standing for National because it’s the only party with a plan to fix the cost-of-living crisis and the ability to deliver on it. We’ll stop Labour’s wasteful spending and competently manage the economy. We’ll also ease the burden on families in Rongotai with policies like FamilyBoost, which provides up to $75 per week in tax rebates to help people with the cost of childcare.

“Families in Rongotai are aspirational and want the opportunity to get ahead in our wonderful capital city. At the moment that aspiration is slipping out of reach. I’ll work incredibly hard to elect a National Government to deliver for the people of Rongotai.

Karuna was born in Madurai, India and moved to New Zealand in 1995. He has worked in business and investment strategy for most of his career, supporting start-up ventures and early stage companies. He holds graduate diplomas in business from the University of Auckland and Unitec, and a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University.

Karuna has served in a range of governance roles in the Wellington community, including as president of Wellington Mutamizh Sangam, which is a group for Tamil New Zealanders to promote Tamil language and culture. He has also been involved in groups focused on digital inclusion and on as a trustee for the Queen Margaret College Foundation Trust.

He and his wife Chitra, a local GP, have three children, the youngest in their final year of high school, and have lived in the Rongotai electorate for 23 years.