National confirms Mahesh Muralidhar as Tāmaki candidate

National has confirmed Mahesh Muralidhar as its candidate for the Tāmaki electorate.

Muralidhar, a startup entrepreneur and mentor, previously ran as the National candidate in Auckland Central in 2023, but was unsuccessful. Since then, he has been actively engaging with the Tāmaki electorate, and his efforts have culminated in his nomination as the National candidate.

He will contest the seat against incumbent MP and minister Brooke van Velden,from ACT Party serving as Tāmaki’s representative since 2023.

Known for his charismatic smile and affable nature, Muralidhar now faces the challenge of winning the support of Tāmaki voters.

In an earlier interview with The Indian Weekender,  Murlidhar, who belongs to the southern Indian state of Kerala, but has been on the move since he was a teenager.

He studied in Singapore and New Zealand; and worked in Japan and Australia before returning to Auckland to settle down, a city he calls home.

Mahesh was among the founding team of the popular graphic design platform Canva. He returned to New Zealand from Australia in 2020, and started offering free support and advice – out of his house in Parnell – on how to build a huge powerful startup.