Tim van de Molen
MP
van de Molen in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Waikato
Assumed office
23 September 2017
Preceded byLindsay Tisch
Personal details
Born
Timothy John van de Molen

1985 (age 38–39)
Political partyNational
SpouseHilary
ChildrenTwo

Timothy John van de Molen (born 1985) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party.

Personal life

Born in 1985[1] to two primary school teachers and one of five children, van de Molen grew up mainly in Matamata and lives in Tamahere, Waikato. As of 2017, he had never lived outside of the Waikato region apart from an OE. He has a degree in social sciences with a psychology major.[2]

Tim van de Molen with his daughter, son and new puppy
Van de Molen with his daughter, son and pet dog

He has worked as a farmer; in 2013, he won the NZ Young Farmer of the Year Award and was runner up in 2011, and he bought a farm when he was 29 years old. He has also worked as a rural manager for Rabobank, as well as in the army, in tourism, and for the ambulance service St John New Zealand.[2][3][4][5][6]

Van de Molen is married to his wife Hilary and has a daughter and a son.[2]

In February 2022 van de Molen fell from a platform, resulting in two broken arms and a fractured spine and rib.[7]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2017–2020 52nd Waikato 66 National
2020–2023 53rd Waikato 42 National
2023–present 54th Waikato 58 National

First term, 2017–2023

At the 2017 general election van de Molen stood in the electorate of Waikato. He had not previously stood for parliament or another office. Van de Molen was selected by National to replace Lindsay Tisch as their candidate as Tisch was not seeking re-election. Van de Molen was expected to win – the Waikato electorate has been held by the National Party since 1938[2] – and he did so, winning with 61% of the electorate vote.[8] He said that his focuses in his first term would be improving broadband in rural areas and advancing a Waikato medical school to train rural GPs.[6]

In 2018, van de Molen took on the role of the National Party's Third Whip, subordinate to the party's Senior Whip.[9] He also served on the Primary Production and the Transport and Infrastructure select committees during this term.[10]

Second term, 2020–2023

Tim van de Molen attending the Groundswell Protest in 2021
Van de Molen supporting farmers at the Groundswell Protest, 2021

In the 2020 general election, van de Molen again stood for Waikato. In his campaign, he said that agriculture and transport remained his focus, including advocating for the Cambridge to Piarere expressway extension and seeking reduced expectation for farming to make drastic changes around the environment without support.[11] He retained the seat with 51% of the electorate vote.[12]

In August 2023 he was referred to the Privileges Committee following allegations he had threatened fellow MP Shanan Halbert following a select committee hearing.[13] In August 2023, the committee's report concluded that he had threatened Halbert, saying that his conduct was "aggressive in the sense of being hostile, unprofessional and... with an element that was objectively threatening, but not in the sense of physical violence". National Party leader Christopher Luxon removed van de Molen from his portfolios. Van de Molen accepted the Committee's findings and issued a public apology, stating that he "has also committed to seeking coaching support to ensure this doesn't happen again."[14][15]

Third term, 2023–present

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, van de Molen retained his Waikato seat by a margin of 18,548 votes.[16]

Views and positions

Euthanasia

Van de Molen voted in favour of the final reading for the End of Life Choice Bill in 2019, unlike most of his National MP colleagues.[17]

Abortion

He voted in favour of the first and second readings of the Abortion Legislation Bill of 2019,[18][19] but against its third, final reading.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Strongman, Susan (1 November 2017). "What's it like to be young and blue?". RNZ. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Tim van de Molen". New Zealand National Party. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "National selects new Waikato candidate for 2017 – Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Matangi banker takes out young farmer title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  6. 1 2 Nyika, Ruby (23 September 2017). "First seat for farmer Tim van de Molen". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Fall leaves Waikato MP Tim van de Molen with a fractured spine, rib and two broken arms". Stuff. 23 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Waikato – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "New Whips to help keep National moving forward". New Zealand National Party. National Party – press release. 21 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  10. ↑ "van de Molen, Tim – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Rowland, Tom (7 August 2020). "Election 2020: National and Labour eye the Waikato region as beating heart to New Zealand". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Waikato – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Complaint about behaviour of National MP Tim Van De Molen received by Speaker". Radio New Zealand. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "National MP Tim van de Molen stood down from all portfolios". Radio New Zealand. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Neilson, Michael (24 August 2023). "National MP Tim van de Molen found in contempt of Parliament for 'threatening' Labour's Shanan Halbert". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Waikato - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "End of Life Choice Bill final reading: How your MP voted". The New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Walls, Jason (8 August 2019). "How Members of Parliament voted in the first reading of the Abortion Legislation Bill". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "Abortion Legislation Bill — Second Reading – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Abortion Legislation Bill — Third Reading – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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