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Tim van de Molen
MP
van de Molen in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Waikato
Incumbent
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. He is a Member of the House of Representatives for the Waikato electorate and a representative of the National Party.

Early life and family

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

Born in 1985 to two primary school teachers and one of five children, van de Molen grew up mainly in Matamata.[1][2] His great-great-grandfather John Stevens was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Rangitikei and Manawatu between 1881 and 1908.[3]

He attended Matamata College and graduated from the University of Waikato with a degree in psychology.[3]

Van de Molen is married to his wife Hilary and has a daughter and a son. The family lives in Tamahere, Waikato.[2]

In February 2022 van de Molen fell from a platform, resulting in two broken arms and a fractured spine and rib.[4]

Career

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Van de Molen has worked as a dairy, sheep and beef farmer.[2] He appeared in the 2002 nude calendar made by the Ngarua Young Farmers Club.[5] He was active in the national young farmers organisation and was elected junior vice president in 2007.[6] He won the NZ Young Farmer of the Year Award and was runner up in 2011.[7][8] From 2009, van de Molen began working as an agribusiness manager with the National Bank of New Zealand, ANZ, and Rabobank. Through the same period, he served in the New Zealand Territorial Force and as a volunteer with ambulance service St John New Zealand.[2][9][8][10]

Political career

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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

At the 2017 general election van de Molen sought to replace Lindsay Tisch, who was retiring, as the National Party candidate in the Waikato electorate. He won the selection and was elected with 61% of the vote.[11] He said that his focuses in his first electorate are improving broadband in rural areas, advancing a Waikato medical school to train rural GPs, and agriculture and transport issues.[10][12] Van de Molen was comfortably re-elected in the 2020 and 2023 elections.[13][14]

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

In 2018, van de Molen took on the role of the National Party's third whip.[15] He has been the National Party opposition spokesperson for building and construction, biosecurity, animal welfare, oceans and fisheries, defence, horticulture, veterans, and ACC. Between 2017 and 2023, van de Molen served on the primary production and the transport and infrastructure select committees. Since 2023, he has chaired the committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade.[16]

On 1 August 2023 he was referred to the privileges committee following allegations he had threatened fellow MP Shanan Halbert following a select committee hearing.[17] On 24 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". Van de Molen was found in contempt of Parliament and censured; in addition, National leader Christopher Luxon removed him from his portfolios. Van de Molen accepted the committee's findings and issued a public apology.[18][19][20]

Views and positions

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Euthanasia

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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.[21]

Abortion

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He voted in favour of the first and second readings of the Abortion Legislation Bill of 2019,[22][23] but against its third, final reading.[24]

References

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  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. ^ a b c d Strongman, Susan (1 November 2017). "What's it like to be young and blue?". RNZ. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Tim van de Molen; Address in Reply". New Zealand Parliament. 14 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Fall leaves Waikato MP Tim van de Molen with a fractured spine, rib and two broken arms". Stuff. 23 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Starkers, except for the gumboots". The Evening Post. 19 January 2002. p. 15.
  6. ^ "Officers for Young Farmers". Bay of Plenty Times. 6 September 2007. p. C4.
  7. ^ "Matangi banker takes out young farmer title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b "National selects new Waikato candidate for 2017 – Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Tim van de Molen". New Zealand National Party. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  10. ^ a b Nyika, Ruby (23 September 2017). "First seat for farmer Tim van de Molen". Stuff. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Waikato – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Waikato – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Waikato – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "van de Molen, Tim – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Complaint about behaviour of National MP Tim Van De Molen received by Speaker". Radio New Zealand. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  18. ^ "National MP Tim van de Molen stood down from all portfolios". Radio New Zealand. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ Pearse, Adam (29 August 2023). "National MP Tim van de Molen censured by Parliament for threatening behaviour". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  21. ^ "End of Life Choice Bill final reading: How your MP voted". The New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Abortion Legislation Bill — Second Reading – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Abortion Legislation Bill — Third Reading – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Waikato
2017–present 		Incumbent
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