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Brooke van Velden
Brooke Olivia van Velden (born 15 October 1992) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the deputy leader of ACT New Zealand since June 2020. She has been a member of Parliament (MP) since the 2020 general election, first as a list MP and, since 2023, the MP for Tāmaki. Van Velden currently serves in the National-led government as the 38th minister of internal affairs and 6th minister for workplace relations and safety. She is the second youngest cabinet minister in New Zealand history, being just eight days older than Phil Goff was when he became Minister of Housing after the 1984 election.
Van Velden has announced she will retire from politics at the 2026 general election.
Van Velden was born in Auckland in 1992. She attended St Cuthbert's College in Auckland, where she joined the school choir in Year 12. She says this sparked her interest in public speaking. She later joined the Welsh Choir.
Van Velden studied economics and international trade at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce in 2016. She worked for lobbying firm Exceltium.
Before becoming a Member of Parliament, van Velden worked as a staffer for ACT leader David Seymour. Her sole task in this role was to get Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill passed. She spent two years lobbying Members of Parliament to support it and helped draft the legislation. Van Velden said that she "made herself useful" to MPs who wanted to know more about the bill, and also approached politicians in the tunnel between the Beehive and the Bowen Street building to discuss the bill. She said that she has been called a "snake" and a "spy", and that once several MPs had shouted abuse at her.
The Bill passed and became an Act of Parliament in 2019, but with concessions. The bill faced opposition from members of the Justice Select Committee in 2018. Seymour and van Velden developed a "sponsor's report" for the bill, giving their own recommendations before the committee, including limiting assisted death only to those who were terminally ill. This compromise restricted choice but improved support. The Act also states that it only comes into effect if supported by a referendum. This referendum was held on 17 October and it passed with 65.1% support.
Van Velden first ran for Parliament at the 2017 general election. She contested the Auckland Central electorate and was placed third on ACT's party list, but was not elected.
Van Velden was selected as ACT's deputy leader in June 2020, at the age of 27, and was placed second on its party list for the 2020 general election. At the announcement of her role, leader David Seymour described her as the "future of the party". She ran for the electorate of Wellington Central. She did not win the electorate, placing fifth with 865 votes, but ACT, with 7.6% of the preliminary party vote, was entitled to ten MPs including van Velden. As Seymour was previously the party's only representative in Parliament, van Velden became one of nine new ACT Party MPs in the 53rd Parliament. In addition to being deputy leader, she is the ACT party whip and spokesperson for Health, Housing, Foreign Affairs, and Trade.
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Brooke van Velden
Brooke Olivia van Velden (born 15 October 1992) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the deputy leader of ACT New Zealand since June 2020. She has been a member of Parliament (MP) since the 2020 general election, first as a list MP and, since 2023, the MP for Tāmaki. Van Velden currently serves in the National-led government as the 38th minister of internal affairs and 6th minister for workplace relations and safety. She is the second youngest cabinet minister in New Zealand history, being just eight days older than Phil Goff was when he became Minister of Housing after the 1984 election.
Van Velden has announced she will retire from politics at the 2026 general election.
Van Velden was born in Auckland in 1992. She attended St Cuthbert's College in Auckland, where she joined the school choir in Year 12. She says this sparked her interest in public speaking. She later joined the Welsh Choir.
Van Velden studied economics and international trade at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce in 2016. She worked for lobbying firm Exceltium.
Before becoming a Member of Parliament, van Velden worked as a staffer for ACT leader David Seymour. Her sole task in this role was to get Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill passed. She spent two years lobbying Members of Parliament to support it and helped draft the legislation. Van Velden said that she "made herself useful" to MPs who wanted to know more about the bill, and also approached politicians in the tunnel between the Beehive and the Bowen Street building to discuss the bill. She said that she has been called a "snake" and a "spy", and that once several MPs had shouted abuse at her.
The Bill passed and became an Act of Parliament in 2019, but with concessions. The bill faced opposition from members of the Justice Select Committee in 2018. Seymour and van Velden developed a "sponsor's report" for the bill, giving their own recommendations before the committee, including limiting assisted death only to those who were terminally ill. This compromise restricted choice but improved support. The Act also states that it only comes into effect if supported by a referendum. This referendum was held on 17 October and it passed with 65.1% support.
Van Velden first ran for Parliament at the 2017 general election. She contested the Auckland Central electorate and was placed third on ACT's party list, but was not elected.
Van Velden was selected as ACT's deputy leader in June 2020, at the age of 27, and was placed second on its party list for the 2020 general election. At the announcement of her role, leader David Seymour described her as the "future of the party". She ran for the electorate of Wellington Central. She did not win the electorate, placing fifth with 865 votes, but ACT, with 7.6% of the preliminary party vote, was entitled to ten MPs including van Velden. As Seymour was previously the party's only representative in Parliament, van Velden became one of nine new ACT Party MPs in the 53rd Parliament. In addition to being deputy leader, she is the ACT party whip and spokesperson for Health, Housing, Foreign Affairs, and Trade.