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ISSUE
Friday, November 6, 2026
Volume 17 . Issue 44
National's Mahesh Muralidhar is firmly ahead in the Tāmaki electorate, with preliminary results placing him on course for a historic victory as the party's first Indian-origin electorate MP.
Muralidhar's win would mark a significant milestone, making him the first Indian-origin National Party candidate to win an electorate seat.
With 73.8% of votes counted, Muralidhar is leading by 4,513 votes.
Muralidhar, chief executive of Auckland-based venture capital firm Phase One Ventures, was selected by local National Party members as the candidate for Tāmaki in the 2026 General Election.
A technology entrepreneur and mentor, he previously contested Auckland Central for National in the 2023 election but was unsuccessful. Since then, he has continued engaging with the Tāmaki electorate, eventually securing the party's nomination for the seat.
Earlier this year, ahead of the election, Muralidhar spoke to The Indian Weekender about his campaign, the issues he was hearing from voters, his goals for the electorate and what contesting the election meant to him.
In the interview, he also reflected on his journey as an immigrant in New Zealand, from arriving in the country as a teenager to building a career in technology, startups and venture capital, and how that experience shaped his desire to give back to the country he now calls home.
Born in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Muralidhar has lived and worked internationally. He studied in Singapore and New Zealand, and worked in Japan and Australia before returning to Auckland.
National's Mahesh Muralidhar is firmly ahead in the Tāmaki electorate, with preliminary results placing him on course for a historic victory as the party's first Indian-origin electorate MP.
Muralidhar's win would mark a significant milestone, making him the first Indian-origin National Party...
National's Mahesh Muralidhar is firmly ahead in the Tāmaki electorate, with preliminary results placing him on course for a historic victory as the party's first Indian-origin electorate MP.
Muralidhar's win would mark a significant milestone, making him the first Indian-origin National Party candidate to win an electorate seat.
With 73.8% of votes counted, Muralidhar is leading by 4,513 votes.
Muralidhar, chief executive of Auckland-based venture capital firm Phase One Ventures, was selected by local National Party members as the candidate for Tāmaki in the 2026 General Election.
A technology entrepreneur and mentor, he previously contested Auckland Central for National in the 2023 election but was unsuccessful. Since then, he has continued engaging with the Tāmaki electorate, eventually securing the party's nomination for the seat.
Earlier this year, ahead of the election, Muralidhar spoke to The Indian Weekender about his campaign, the issues he was hearing from voters, his goals for the electorate and what contesting the election meant to him.
In the interview, he also reflected on his journey as an immigrant in New Zealand, from arriving in the country as a teenager to building a career in technology, startups and venture capital, and how that experience shaped his desire to give back to the country he now calls home.
Born in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Muralidhar has lived and worked internationally. He studied in Singapore and New Zealand, and worked in Japan and Australia before returning to Auckland.
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