Candidate Kōrero: Karunā Muthu

Words by Ethan Manera (he/him)

Karunā Muthu describes himself as a “political animal”. He's not lying; rocking up to our interview in his royal blue National Party branded jacket, he jokes that he’s going to be the Prime Minister of New Zealand. The National Candidate for Rongotai is optimistic he’s able to turn Rongotai blue, despite it being a safe Labour seat since 1996. 

“I'm the underdog, and I don't mind being the underdog. I didn't get to where I am today by being the front runner,” he said.

The lawyer and investor has lived in the Rongotai electorate for 23 years after immigrating from India in the 90s with only “$500 in hand” in search of a better life for his children. 

Ideologically, he’s a “compassionate conservative and social liberal”, and says he’s “always believed in social justice, and standing up for the underprivileged and downtrodden”. 

While door-knocking around his neighbourhood of Strathmore, Muthu said that people often tell him he’s in the wrong party. “All the parties want the best for the people, but I align myself with the values of the National Party: hard work, family, reward for your hard work, and so on.” He said some members of the community have not been so friendly, with some drivers even pulling the finger at Muthu and his volunteers while sign-waving in the area.

He’s keen to get stuck in and fix what he considers to be three biggest issues in the community: cost of living, transport, and employment.

Cost of living

Muthu acknowledges how tough things are for young people in the electorate, saying that “students in Rongotai are probably one of the most hurt by the cost of living crisis”. He says that the best way to deal with it “is to bring inflation down”. National’s plan for reducing inflation includes cutting public service spending, tax relief for the “squeezed middle”, and instructing the Reserve Bank to “just focus on inflation” rather than what he calls “other experimental social engineering stuff”, like controlling house prices.

While he says that “National will rebuild the economy, bring the inflation under control, and reduce the cost of living crisis that will benefit the students”, he knows “it’s not going to be a magic wand that's going to create everything into a rosy picture come 14th October.”

When asked if he would support more immediate measures to alleviate student hardship, such as increasing student allowances or extending the fees free program, Muthu said, “The current policy is probably what National will stick to, so students don't have to worry that there's going to be a cut [to] this or that.” 

He said he wants to rebuild the economy so students are able to work part-time, preferring they support themselves rather than getting a government handout. The National Party have not yet released their tertiary education policy, but have promised to keep the first year of the fee’s free  program.

Transport

National’s recently released transport policy would see a second Mount Victoria tunnel, allowing increased roading infrastructure for the party’s goal of “four lanes to the planes”, as well as investing in the greater Wellington train service, and scrapping the plans for light rail by cancelling Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM).  

Muthu says LGWM has caused “suffering” and the death of small businesses due to “very little consultation with the local residents”.

The bus system is another thing he wants to change, saying it “used to be the pride of Wellington” but has been “decimated by some ideological project”. He said that building more roads is important, as “buses [have] got to run on roads”, and the current roads around Wellington “are not in condition that we deserve”.

When asked if he would support the campaign for free bus fares for students, he said he's open to the idea if it means students will “get to university on time” and “focus on their studies”, but is “keen to learn the cost benefit of it” before committing any support.

Employment

Despite New Zealand’s unemployment rate reaching record lows in 2023, Muthu reckons employment “is really hard to get now” and says National “would actually rebuild the economy, that would create job opportunities for students so they will be able to support themselves.”

“There is very little part time [work] available for young students. [...] This is what my daughter tells me.” Muthu’s daughter, who is helping out with his campaign, joined us for the interview.

He is especially passionate about creating jobs in the film industry, saying, “We have a centre of [the] global movie industry in Miramar and we have an opportunity to put Rongotai on the map, not just in New Zealand, but on the globe. The students of Rongotai have an opportunity to be part of that kind of industry.”

Housing

His main priority for improving the rental market for students is “actually freeing up land for more housing”. National’s housing policy includes incentivising councils to zone for housing outside of city centres by scrapping the requirement for them to build housing under Medium Density Residential Standards, instead allowing for greenfields development on rural land. The party also wishes to reinstate no-case evictions, among other measures, to ease cost pressures on landlords.

“I'm a renter right now and I know how important it is to have a warm, healthy home,” he said. But Muthu also revealed that he is “indirectly” a landlord, “My wife owns [the property] and I own a little bit of it”.

Opponents

When asked about his opponents for the Rongotai seat, Muthu was not short of reasons why voters should give him their support come election day rather than his fellow candidates in Labour or the Greens. 

“Why am I better than Julie Anne or Fleur? I'm not ideologically blinded like some of my opponents, I'm open, I'm pragmatic, I'm actually coming with some real life experience—it’s not theory, I know what it is [like] to be on [the] doll, I know what it is [like] to be a student, I know what it is [like] to be paying bills, I know what it is [like] to bring up children, and I know what it is [like] to have a child with a disability and juggle your life around it. I tell you, I have far more experience.”