Vanushi Walters of Sri Lankan origin elected to New Zealand Parliament
Vanushi Walters has become the first woman of Sri Lankan descent to represent the Parliament of New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden was elected for a second term in office in the recently held general election, winning 64 seats in Parliament as the ruling party.
Walters, a member of Arden’s Labour Party and a human rights lawyer by profession, has been elected as a Member of Parliament representing Upper Harbour of Aukland, New Zealand.
Born in Sri Lanka in 1981, Walters moved to New Zealand at age 5 with her parents.
She is notably the granddaughter of Nesam Saravanamuttu, the second woman to represent the legislature in Sri Lanka, and Ratnajothi Saravanamuttu, the first Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council.
She has also served in Amnesty International for nine years.
