NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Manawatu Guardian

Sri Lankan citizen Chathu Karunanayake keen to settle in Palmerston North

Judith Lacy
By Judith Lacy
Judith Lacy is editor of the Manawatū Guardian·Manawatu Guardian·
23 Sep, 2021 01:21 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Chathu Karunanayake has a Postgraduate Diploma of Contemporary International Studies from IPU.

Chathu Karunanayake has a Postgraduate Diploma of Contemporary International Studies from IPU.

Stories about immigrant doctors driving taxis and immigrant engineers cleaning toilets abound.

Chathu Karunanayake was a lawyer in Sri Lanka. Now living in Palmerston North, she isn't seeking to practise law - she needs more qualifications for that, but she is looking for a job that matches her qualifications from Sri Lanka and IPU.

Karunanayake came to Palmerston North in October 2019 to study contemporary international studies at IPU, graduating a year later with a postgraduate diploma in the subject.

Karunanayake's husband Samith, who was also a lawyer in Sri Lanka, works at Tranzit Coachlines and their son Hasala, 10, attends Hokowhitu School.

She is the only Sri Lankan at the Palmy KFC store where she has worked part time since November. She says everyone is friendly and she has met wonderful people, both older and younger than her, but she would like a job where she can progress.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Since July, she's worked as a rehabilitation coach at Evolve Rehabilitation's community home in Roslyn, another job she enjoys.

She has an open work visa that expires in 2023.

The family were living in Sri Lanka when Islamist terrorist suicide bombers killed 267 people on Easter Sunday in 2019.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ideally, the family would like to gain residency. Karunanayake says her son is settled here and enjoying school. "It's a good city to settle and a good country."

While living in Sri Lanka, the family travelled overseas extensively during each August court holiday.

In 2018, they visited New Zealand for three weeks exploring the North and South islands.

Karunanayake says she was keen to study in New Zealand as the culture and values are a little similar to Sri Lanka and it is a quiet, calm country. The United States and Australia, where her sister lives, are more fast moving.

She and her husband wanted to give Hasala a better future. New Zealand is a good country to raise their son with untouched natural beauty and friendly people. "It will be his future here, not ours."

Jobseeker Chathu Karunanayake enjoys reading fiction and biographies, cycling and voluntary work. Photo / Supplied
Jobseeker Chathu Karunanayake enjoys reading fiction and biographies, cycling and voluntary work. Photo / Supplied

To practise law in New Zealand, Karunanayake would need to study for then sit the bar exam, which is expensive.

She would like a job in administration, management, co-ordination, events or as a legal secretary.

She says her passion is talking to people, she loves working, is a quick learner with good listening and organisational skills, and is adaptable.

Sinhala is her mother language yet she has an impressive International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5. Karunanayake says English is a compulsory subject in Sri Lanka and most of the country's law books are in English.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science and public policy, and a Bachelor of Law degree, both from Sri Lanka.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Her late father was a lawyer for 42 years and her father-in-law is also a lawyer.

Karunanayake has undertaken a range of voluntary jobs in Palmerston North, including co-ordinating this year's Red Cross street appeal, event co-ordinator with the Network for Skilled Migrants Manawatū, and doing office work for Brain Injury Central Districts.

As a refugee support volunteer, she is working with a family from Myanmar who arrived in June.

• Chathu Karunanayake can be contacted at ruki910@yahoo.com

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Manawatu Guardian

Manawatu Guardian

White-tailed spider bite leaves man in hospital for a month with deadly infection

Manawatu Guardian

Police appeal after woman shot in Palmerston North

Manawatu Guardian

All Black's legacy lives on at Romney Lane Homestead


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Manawatu Guardian

White-tailed spider bite leaves man in hospital for a month with deadly infection
Manawatu Guardian

White-tailed spider bite leaves man in hospital for a month with deadly infection

Andy Stewart pushed on with his motorbike trek despite his growing pain.

02 Jan 04:00 PM
Police appeal after woman shot in Palmerston North
Manawatu Guardian

Police appeal after woman shot in Palmerston North

16 Dec 08:35 PM
All Black's legacy lives on at Romney Lane Homestead
Manawatu Guardian

All Black's legacy lives on at Romney Lane Homestead

13 Dec 04:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manawatu Guardian e-edition
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP