Tim van de Molen explained

Tim van de Molen
Term Start3:23 September 2017
Parliament3:New Zealand
Predecessor3:Lindsay Tisch
Birth Name:Timothy John van de Molen
Party:National
Spouse:Hilary
Children:Two

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

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.

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

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

Career

Van de Molen has worked as a dairy, sheep and beef farmer. 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] 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.[8] [9] [10]

Political career

At the 2017 general election van de Molen sought to replace Lindsay Tisch, who was retiring, as the National Party candidate in the 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.[12] Van de Molen was comfortably re-elected in the 2020 and 2023 elections.[13] [14] 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

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.[21]

Abortion

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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 24 May 2019 . Roll of members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, 1854 onwards . 3 September 2020 . New Zealand Parliament.
  2. Web site: Strongman . Susan . 1 November 2017 . What's it like to be young and blue? . 20 October 2020 . RNZ . en-nz.
  3. Web site: 14 November 2017 . Tim van de Molen; Address in Reply . New Zealand Parliament.
  4. Web site: 23 February 2022 . Fall leaves Waikato MP Tim van de Molen with a fractured spine, rib and two broken arms . Stuff.
  5. News: 19 January 2002 . Starkers, except for the gumboots . . 15.
  6. News: 6 September 2007 . Officers for Young Farmers . . C4.
  7. Web site: Matangi banker takes out young farmer title . 23 September 2017 . Stuff.co.nz.
  8. Web site: Tim van de Molen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20191223034847/https://timvandemolen.national.org.nz/contact. 23 December 2019. 15 October 2019. New Zealand National Party.
  9. Web site: National selects new Waikato candidate for 2017 – Scoop News. 23 September 2017. Scoop.co.nz.
  10. Web site: Nyika. Ruby. 23 September 2017. First seat for farmer Tim van de Molen. 20 October 2020. Stuff. en.
  11. Web site: Waikato – Official Result . 21 October 2020. Electoral Commission. https://web.archive.org/web/20231015050854/https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2017/electorate-details-56.html. 15 October 2023.
  12. News: Rowland . Tom . 7 August 2020 . Election 2020: National and Labour eye the Waikato region as beating heart to New Zealand . 20 October 2020 . . en-NZ.
  13. Web site: Waikato – Official Result . https://web.archive.org/web/20230716053202/https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/electorate-details-56.html . 16 July 2023 . 6 November 2020 . Electoral Commission.
  14. Web site: 3 November 2023 . Waikato – Official Result . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231123104119/https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-56.html . 23 November 2023 . 18 December 2023 . Electoral Commission.
  15. Web site: 21 March 2018. New Whips to help keep National moving forward. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190216035148/https://www.national.org.nz/new_whips_to_help_keep_national_moving_forward. 16 February 2019. 15 February 2019. New Zealand National Party. National Party – press release.
  16. Web site: van de Molen, Tim – New Zealand Parliament . 21 October 2020 . www.parliament.nz . en.
  17. News: Complaint about behaviour of National MP Tim Van De Molen received by Speaker . . 1 August 2023 . 1 August 2023.
  18. News: 24 August 2023 . National MP Tim van de Molen stood down from all portfolios . 24 August 2023 . Radio New Zealand. en-nz.
  19. News: Neilson . Michael . National MP Tim van de Molen found in contempt of Parliament for 'threatening' Labour's Shanan Halbert . 27 August 2023 . . 24 August 2023.
  20. Web site: Pearse . Adam . 29 August 2023 . National MP Tim van de Molen censured by Parliament for threatening behaviour . 4 April 2024 . NZ Herald.
  21. News: 13 November 2019. End of Life Choice Bill final reading: How your MP voted. 21 October 2020. The New Zealand Herald. en-NZ.
  22. News: Walls. Jason. 8 August 2019. How Members of Parliament voted in the first reading of the Abortion Legislation Bill. 20 October 2020. The New Zealand Herald. en-NZ.
  23. Web site: Abortion Legislation Bill — Second Reading – New Zealand Parliament. 20 October 2020. www.parliament.nz. en.
  24. Web site: Abortion Legislation Bill — Third Reading – New Zealand Parliament. 20 October 2020. www.parliament.nz. en.

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