Mahesh Muralidhar on track for historic Tāmaki win for National

The technology entrepreneur holds a lead of more than 4,200 votes as National looks set to reclaim the Auckland electorate from ACT.

By Webfit News | 7 November 2026

Mahesh Muralidhar is on course to become National’s first Indian-origin MP elected through an electorate, holding a substantial lead in Tāmaki’s preliminary count.

The election-night figures supplied to Webfit News show Muralidhar on 12,110 votes, ahead of Labour’s Max Harris by 4,234, with 68.8 percent of voting places reporting.

If confirmed, the result would mark a milestone for National’s Indian community representation. Its previous Indian-origin MPs, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Parmjeet Parmar, entered Parliament through the party list.

It would also return Tāmaki to National after ACT’s Brooke van Velden won the traditionally blue seat in 2023. Van Velden retired ahead of this election, with James Christmas standing for ACT.

Muralidhar contested Auckland Central for National in 2023 before being selected for Tāmaki in February this year. He leads startup investment firm Phase One Ventures and previously held a senior role at Canva. Born in Kerala, he moved to New Zealand as a teenager and attended Napier Boys’ High School.

For National, the emerging result combines the recovery of a historic stronghold with a new chapter in its parliamentary representation. For Muralidhar, an electorate victory would bring a direct mandate from Tāmaki voters and responsibility for the local infrastructure, growth and safety issues he campaigned on.

The count remains preliminary, with the outcome subject to remaining votes and the official count.