Karunā Muthu is a New Zealand lawyer and business strategist currently standing as a National Party candidate for the Wellington Bays electorate [38][39][40].
Muthu was educated at the University of Auckland [31], Victoria University of Wellington [33], and the University of Oxford [32], as well as at Unitec [29]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she also studied at Auckland University [28] and Unitec, Auckland [30].
She is a confirmed lawyer [14] and a business and investment strategy professional [8][9]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she has worked as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand [2], as an employee at Capital Legal Partners Ltd [3], and as a Private Equity Investor at July Ventures LLP [5]. A single reputable secondary source also notes her admission at the Wellington High Court from 8 September 2006 [6], and her role as a barrister [7] and business strategist [10].
Muthu has been involved in a range of civic and community roles. She is a confirmed board member of the Queen Margaret College Foundation Trust [18] and of Wellington Rugby League [19], and an inaugural director of Te Putahitanga, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency [27]. She has served as President of Wellington Mutamizh Sangam [15] and as President of the Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangams [16]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she has been a resident of Miramar since 1995 [24], a member of the Auckland Access Radio management board [21], a member of the Institute of Directors, New Zealand [22], and a member of the International Bar Association [23]. She is also noted, according to a single reputable secondary source, as a trustee of the Wellington 2020 Communication Trust Board [17].
Muthu is, according to a single reputable secondary source, the founder of the New Zealand Overseas South Indian Association from 1996 [26] and the founder of Law Students International from 2003 [25]. In her political career, she stood as an electorate candidate for United Future in the Rongotai electorate in 2008 [12][42]. She later contested the Rongotai electorate as a National Party candidate in 2023 [36][37][40]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she was also a candidate for Wellington mayor in 2013 [20]. She is now listed as the National Party candidate for the Wellington Bays electorate from around March 2026 [38][39][41].