Suveen Sanis Walgampola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | Green |
| Website | https://www.greens.org.nz/suveen_sanis_walgampola_2023 |
Suveen Sanis Walgampola is a community advocate and co-founder of Duality, an organisation for Sri Lankan youths in New Zealand. He is also a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and was the candidate for the Mount Roskill electorate in the 2023 elections. [1]
Walgampola was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is Sinhalese. [2] He moved to New Zealand at the age of two. [3] Growing up in Auckland, he attended Auckland Grammar School from 2004 to 2009, then Massey University from 2010 to 2014 where he studied a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.), Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law. [4] [5] In 2016 Walgampola completed a Graduate Diploma in Commerce, Operations, and Supply Chain Management from the University of Auckland. [4]
Walgampola is the co-founder of Duality, an organisation for Sri Lankan youths in New Zealand. [3] In supporting the Sri Lankan diasporic community in Aotearoa New Zealand, Walgampola aims to foster support for identity formation and success among the community. [3] [5] [2] Duality organises community engagement projects, mentorship programmes and knowledge and story sharing opportunities. [3]
In 2020 Walgampola volunteered for the Green Party election campaign. [6] In 2023 Walgampola ran as the candidate for the Mount Roskill electorate and received 12.12% of votes behind the Labour Party's Michael Wood (30.4%) and National Party member Carlos Cheung (43.40%). [7] [8] Walgampola advocates for a community-led attitude towards politics and focuses on issues supporting tino rangatiratanga and migrant and minority voices. [4]
Before being involved in New Zealand politics, Walgampola was a mental health support worker. [9]
Walgampola practices the art form of Geta Beraya, the traditional Sri Lankan drums. [2]
