Phase One Ventures chief executive Mahesh Muralidhar has been selected by local party members as National’s candidate in Tāmaki for the 2026 General Election.

Mr Muralidhar was the first Head of People Operations at Canva, one of Australia’s most successful tech startups. He now mentors and invests in high-growth startups in New Zealand and Australia. He was National’s Auckland Central candidate for the 2023 General Election.

“I am honoured to be selected as National’s candidate for Tāmaki. I’ll be working hard between now and November 7 to re-elect a National Government focused on fixing the basics and building the future,” says Mr Muralidhar.

“Under the National-led Government inflation has halved, resulting in nine interest rate cuts. That means that the average homeowner is now saving around $10,000 on their mortgage. Those are real savings for New Zealanders.

“New Zealand can and should be as prosperous as Australia, and I know that we are not short of talent or ambition. That is why this National Government is focused on economic growth to create jobs and opportunities for Kiwis at home, lift wages, and invest in the public services New Zealanders rely on.

“National’s plan to raise KiwiSaver contributions to 12 per cent total is a great example of putting NZ on par with Australia. It will mean the average Kiwi could be hundreds of thousands of dollars better off when they retire while lifting investment in New Zealand companies to make all of us better off.

“I am standing for parliament in Tāmaki because I want to give back to a region that has given me so much. I will be campaigning hard to lift National’s party vote and represent to people of Tāmaki as part of Christopher Luxon’s National team.

Biographical Notes:

Mahesh Muralidhar is the chief executive of Phase One Ventures, a New Zealand venture firm which supports and funds startups to grow and succeed. He mentors and invests into several startups in New Zealand and Australia. He is a board member in the Ministry of Awesome and is a prominent figure in New Zealand’s technology and startup ecosystem.

Before returning to New Zealand, Mahesh spent several years working in Tokyo, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur, followed by a decade in Sydney, where he held C-suite positions at some of Australia’s most prominent tech startups.

Born in Kerala, India and having spent his early childhood in Singapore, Mahesh moved to New Zealand in the mid-90s to attend high school. He completed his schooling at Napier Boys’ High School before gaining a Bachelor of Science in Statistics and a Graduate Diploma in Arts from the University of Auckland. He also has an MBA from the University of New South Wales and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy from the University of Auckland.

Mahesh lives in Mission Bay with his wife Praveena.

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