# MP Profile: Tim van de Molen (National β€” Waikato) **File prepared:** 9 June 2026 **Source:** Publicly available information only **Status:** βœ… Complete --- ## CURRENT ROLES | Role | Details | | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Electorate** | Waikato (since 2017) | | **Party** | New Zealand National Party | | **Select Committee** | **Chair**, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee | | **Parliamentary role** | Ordinary backbench MP (no ministerial or spokesperson portfolios) | | **Electorate office** | 190 Thames Street, Morrinsville | _Sources:_ Parliament.nz profile (accessed 9 Jun 2026); National Party team page (accessed 9 Jun 2026) --- ## RELEVANCE SCORE: 🟒 LOW **Explanation:** Tim van de Molen is a rural backbench MP with no ministerial portfolios and no spokesperson responsibilities. He chairs the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee β€” a portfolio with no direct relevance to seniors, aged care, health, housing, or social policy. He previously held opposition spokesperson roles in Defence, Veterans, Building & Construction, and ACC (prior to August 2023), but was stripped of all portfolios after a Privileges Committee finding of contempt of Parliament and has not been reassigned since. His Waikato electorate has a mixed urban-rural population with a notable older farming cohort, but he has taken no public positions on seniors-specific policy issues. **Key considerations:** - ❌ Not a minister or associate minister - ❌ Not a party spokesperson on any portfolio - ❌ Committee chair (Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade) not seniors-relevant - ➑️ Previous ACC and Veterans roles (pre-2023) had tangential relevance - ➑️ Waikato electorate has significant rural older population but no specific seniors engagement beyond routine constituency work (e.g., seniors morning teas) --- ## PUBLIC BACKGROUND ### Professional History - **Farmer:** Worked as a dairy, sheep, and beef farmer before politics - **Agribusiness banker:** Rural bank manager at National Bank, ANZ, and Rabobank (2009 onwards) - **Business owner:** Ran own rural construction business; owned several small businesses including Waikato Filtration Ltd, Rascal Revolution Ltd - **NZ Defence Force:** Served as an Officer in the New Zealand Army Territorial Force (reserves) - **St John Ambulance:** Volunteer with St John New Zealand - **Young Farmers:** Won NZ Young Farmer of the Year (2013); Australasian Rural Ambassador (2012); Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme graduate ### Education - Matamata College - University of Waikato β€” Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) ### Political History | Election | Result | Majority | | -------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | | 2017 | Won Waikato (replaced retiring Lindsay Tisch) | ~61% of vote | | 2020 | Re-elected | Comfortable majority | | 2023 | Re-elected | Comfortable majority | ### Portfolio History (Opposition, pre-2023) - National Party Third Whip (2018) - Opposition spokesperson for: Building & Construction, Biosecurity, Animal Welfare, Oceans & Fisheries, Defence, Horticulture, Veterans, ACC (various times 2017–2023) _Sources:_ Wikipedia (accessed 9 Jun 2026); National Party team page (accessed 9 Jun 2026); RNZ, "National announces caucus reshuffle" (13 Jul 2022) ### Significant Incident β€” Privileges Committee (August 2023) - Found in **contempt of Parliament** for threatening behaviour toward Labour MP Shanan Halbert after a select committee hearing - Behaviour described by Privileges Committee as "aggressive… hostile, unprofessional… objectively threatening" - **Censured by Parliament** - **Stripped of all spokesperson portfolios** by Christopher Luxon - Luxon committed to **not appointing him to Cabinet** if National formed government - Van de Molen accepted findings and issued a public apology - He has **not been assigned any spokesperson or ministerial portfolios since this incident** _Sources:_ RNZ (29 Aug 2023); NZ Herald (24 Aug 2023); Stuff (24 Aug 2023) --- ## PUBLIC POSITIONS RELEVANT TO OLDER NEW ZEALANDERS **Assessment:** No clear public position found on seniors-specific issues. Van de Molen's parliamentary work has focused on primary industries, defence, foreign affairs, veterans, and infrastructure. Below is the closest relevant material identified. | Issue | Position / Activity | Source | Date | | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | --------- | | **End of Life Choice Act (assisted dying)** | Voted **in favour** at all three readings (against majority of National Party caucus). Supported the bill allowing terminally ill people to access assisted dying β€” a policy directly affecting older people. | voted.nz; Wikipedia | 2017–2019 | | **Veterans' affairs** | Held opposition spokesperson for Veterans (pre-2023). His Member's Bill (Military Decorations and Distinctive Badges Amendment) protects veterans' service decorations. | RNZ (13 Jul 2022); bills.parliament.nz | 2022–2025 | | **Seniors constituency engagement** | Hosted/hosted at seniors morning teas in the Waikato electorate, including at retirement villages. Routine constituency outreach, no policy positions stated. | Instagram @timvandemolenmp; Facebook @AndrewBaylyMP | 2025 | | **Health / Aged Care** | No public statements, speeches, or policy positions identified. | Searched RNZ, Stuff, NZ Herald, Hansard | β€” | | **NZ Superannuation** | No public statements identified. | As above | β€” | | **Housing / Retirement Villages** | No policy positions identified. Owns residential and horticultural property interests (see declared interests below). | As above | β€” | | **Disability / Carers** | No public statements identified. | As above | β€” | | **Palliative Care / Dementia** | No public statements identified. | As above | β€” | | **Elder Abuse** | No public statements identified. | As above | β€” | --- ## PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITY ### Member's Bill | Bill | Status | Summary | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Military Decorations and Distinctive Badges (Modernisation) Amendment Bill** | Drawn from biscuit tin ballot (22 May 2025); passed first reading (2026) | Prohibits improper use or disposal of military decorations. Primarily symbolic/uncontroversial. | ### Oral Questions (selected examples) - **12 Feb 2025:** Question to Minister of Finance on economic conditions - **2025–2026:** Multiple questions to Minister for Trade and Investment (India FTA), Minister of Defence (Budget 2026 investments), Minister of Transport (Waikato Expressway) _Note:_ Oral questions primarily focused on trade, defence, and Waikato infrastructure β€” not health, housing, or social policy. ### Previous Select Committee Roles - Primary Production Committee - Transport and Infrastructure Committee (2017–2023) - **Current:** Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee (Chair, 2023–present) _Sources:_ Scoop.co.nz (12 Feb 2025); bills.parliament.nz; Parliament.nz committee pages (accessed 9 Jun 2026) --- ## DECLARED INTERESTS (Register of Pecuniary Interests, as at 31 January 2025) | Category | Details | Relevance to Seniors/Aged Care | | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Company directorships** | Caritim Limited (horticulture & agriculture); Kaimai Capital GP Limited; Kaimai Capital Investments Limited; Kaimai Capital Limited | Low β€” primary sector investments | | **Other companies** | Hiltim Limited (horticulture & agriculture); ANZ Banking Group shares | Low | | **Real property** | Family home (Tamahere, Waikato); 2 residential houses (van de Molen Family Trust); Horticultural property (Caritim Limited) | Low β€” residential and farming, no aged care or retirement village interests | | **Trusts** | van de Molen Family Trust (trustee & beneficiary) | Low | | **Retirement schemes** | ASB KiwiSaver | Standard | | **Payment for activities** | Kaimai Capital Limited β€” director's fees | Low | | **Organisations seeking govt funding** | New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust | Low | | **Overseas travel** | Taiwan (networking, funded by Taipei Cultural & Economic Office) β€” declared 2024 | Low | | **Gifts** | Property Council NZ ticket, Dempsey Wood wines (2024) | Low | _Note:_ Van de Molen has **no declared interests** in health, aged care, retirement villages, disability services, or hospital operations. _Sources:_ Register of Pecuniary Interests 2025 (Parliament.nz); PublicData NZ (accessed 9 Jun 2026); NZ Herald property portfolio analysis (2025); Stuff property analysis (2023) --- ## BUSINESS-DECISION IMPLICATIONS | Relevance area | Assessment | | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Aged care / retirement villages** | No direct influence or declared interest. Not a stakeholder. | | **Health policy** | No role. Vote on End of Life Choice Act is only health-related position identified. | | **Housing policy** | No portfolio. Owns multiple properties but not in seniors housing. | | **NZ Super / pension policy** | No stated position or portfolio involvement. | | **Disability support** | No involvement. Previous ACC spokesperson role (stripped 2023) had tangential relevance. | | **Veterans' affairs** | Previous spokesperson role (stripped 2023). His Member's Bill protects military decorations β€” marginal relevance to older veterans. | | **Overall** | **Not a key stakeholder** for seniors-sector business decisions. Engage only for Waikato electorate-specific matters. | --- ## CAMPAIGN RELEVANCE | Factor | Detail | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Electorate profile** | Waikato is a large rural electorate (Matamata, Morrinsville, Cambridge, Tamahere, Te Aroha). Significant farming community and small-town older population. | | **2026 Election outlook** | Safe National seat. Van de Molen has been re-elected comfortably since 2017. | | **Party influence** | Low. He is an unranked backbencher with no portfolios and a censure on his record. Unlikely to hold ministerial office under Luxon. | | **Seniors voting bloc** | Waikato electorate has an older demographic in rural townships. His constituency work includes seniors morning teas, but he has no policy platform targeting older voters. | --- ## MONITORING TERMS - `Tim van de Molen` AND `aged care` / `retirement` / `seniors` / `health` - `van de Molen` AND `portfolio` / `spokesperson` / `appointed` - `van de Molen` AND `Waikato` electorate - `van de Molen` AND Privileges Committee (only if further developments) - Military Decorations bill progress **Justification:** Low priority monitoring. Only relevant to seniors knowledge base if he is assigned a new portfolio or makes a specific statement on seniors issues. --- ## SOURCE LIST | Source | URL | Date Accessed | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | | Wikipedia β€” Tim van de Molen | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_van_de_Molen | 9 Jun 2026 | | National Party β€” Tim van de Molen profile | https://www.national.org.nz/team/timvandemolen | 9 Jun 2026 | | Parliament.nz β€” MP profile (via search) | https://www3.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/van-de-molen-tim/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | RNZ β€” National MP censured (Aug 2023) | https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/496823/national-mp-tim-van-de-molen-censured-by-parliament | 9 Jun 2026 | | RNZ β€” National caucus reshuffle (Jul 2022) | https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/482705/national-announces-caucus-reshuffle-as-napier-retreat-kicks-off | 9 Jun 2026 | | NZ Herald β€” MP property portfolios 2025 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/mps-property-portfolios-christopher-luxon-sells-investment-houses-politicians-with-overseas-interests/KXBDH4LYB5AKJGEEBPTKFYHL4E/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | Stuff β€” MP property analysis (2023) | https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350472656/revealed-how-many-properties-each-new-zealand-mp-owns | 9 Jun 2026 | | PublicData NZ β€” Tim van de Molen | https://publicdata.co.nz/public-sector-people/tim-van-de-molen | 9 Jun 2026 | | voted.nz β€” Voting record | https://voted.nz/people/van-de-molen-tim/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | Scoop β€” Oral Questions 12 Feb 2025 | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2502/S00103/parliament-questions-and-answers-12-february-2025.htm | 9 Jun 2026 | | AP News β€” Cookie tin member's bill draw | https://www.news4jax.com/news/world/2025/05/23/in-new-zealands-parliament-a-battered-cookie-tin-decides-which-new-laws-get-debated/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | Waikato Chamber of Commerce β€” MP editorial (Dec 2025) | https://www.waikatochamber.co.nz/site_files/22736/upload_files/December%202025%20-%20Tim%20van%20de%20Molen.pdf | 9 Jun 2026 | | Parliament.nz β€” Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade Committee | https://www3.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/scl/foreign-affairs-defence-and-trade/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | Register of Pecuniary Interests 2025 (PDF) | https://www3.parliament.nz/media/11939/register-of-pecuniary-and-other-specified-interests-of-members-of-parliament-summary-of-annual-returns-as-at-31-january-2025.pdf | 9 Jun 2026 | | NZ Herald β€” Contempt finding (Aug 2023) | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/national-mp-tim-van-de-molen-found-in-contempt-of-house-of-parliament-for-threatening-behaviour-towards-labours-shanan-halbert/YREMSCEGM5C5ZP763YRCCO7LQY/ | 9 Jun 2026 | | Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China | https://ipac.global/the-alliance/tim-van-de-molen | 9 Jun 2026 | --- _This profile is prepared from publicly available sources only. It does not contain private personal details, speculation, or attack material. Every factual claim is sourced. No smear content._