National candidate Karuna Muthu walks out of Wellington Bays debate over question selection

What happened

National Party candidate Karuna Muthu walked out of a public meeting at the Brooklyn Community Centre in Wellington after objecting to what he called biased questioning. The incident occurred during a candidates' debate where he was asked yes-or-no questions about policy issues including banking sector reform and Kiwibank. Muthu became agitated, left the table, and announced he was leaving because the questions were not balanced. As he departed, he clashed with an audience member, calling her rude. In a Facebook post, Muthu defended his decision as a matter of principle, saying the event lacked the neutrality required for a democratic debate and that he would not lend legitimacy to what he termed a staged event. His opponents responded that answering tough questions is part of the job of being an MP. Muthu is the National candidate in Wellington Bays, a new electorate that includes the former Rongotai seat plus Brooklyn and Mt Cook, and is polling in third place.

Key facts

• Incident occurred at Brooklyn Community Centre, Wellington, during candidates' meeting
• Muthu is National's Wellington Bays candidate, polling third
• Brooklyn voted Green 30.3%, Labour 29.5%, National 24.8% in 2023 election
• Election day is 7 November 2026
• Muthu has attended more than 20 community meetings so far this campaign

What happens next

The election takes place on 7 November 2026.

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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.

Where the outlets differ

All three outlets report the same basic facts and quotes from the incident. The NZ Herald provides additional context about Muthu's political history (previous candidacies in 2023, 2013, and 2008) and his current list placement at number 64, which the other outlets do not mention.

What outlets are saying