There\u2019s still plenty of work to get done between now and then, which is why van Velden is cautiously sipping a lemon, lime and bitters at The Backbencher. Something van Velden wished she knew before she made the transition to being a MP in 2020, after working in parliament for three years as a staffer for Act leader David Seymour, is that work never actually ends; you\u2019re in parliament until 10pm (and later during urgency), your calendar is constantly full and your Saturdays involve a visit from a man with a locked briefcase giving you your \u201chomework\u201d for the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that makes it hard is that I have missed out on people\u2019s birthdays and family events,\u201d van Velden says. It means that making time to get a coffee with an old mate is something she now considers a hobby, rather than just a regular part of her routine. Van Velden admits she does \u201cfeel a little disconnected to people my own age\u201d, especially when she looks around at her friend group and realises they \u201chave done exceptionally well in their own careers, but none of them have got to the top. <\/p>\n
\u201cI sit there thinking, well, I\u2019m 33 and I\u2019ve already gotten to cabinet, what more is there? I could continue doing the same role or maybe pick up a different ministerial role, but ultimately I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be learning anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Velden, also known by some as B-double-V-MP.<\/p>\n
Admittedly \u201cnot an outwardly expressive and emotive\u201d person, van Velden sees her natural introversion as the reason why some may perceive her as \u201cnot caring\u201d. She isn\u2019t a personality politician in the way her leader is, saying that it\u2019s been awkward trying to fit into the role of public figure. Rather, she\u2019s someone who\u2019d prefer to quietly take her turn at the chisel.<\/p>\n
In others ways, though, she\u2019s just like any other woman in her early 30s. She stays sane by listening to indie-pop singer Clairo and band Cigarettes After Sex on walks around Auckland\u2019s Cornwall Park, enjoys a good cocktail and is very conscious of how other people are viewing her.<\/p>\n
Van Velden loves being in her T\u0101maki electorate, and was the first MP to take it off National\u2019s hands since 1960 when elected in 2023. She can often hear a \u201cgood on ya, girl\u201d while walking down the street and it\u2019s where she gets to work on fixing very personal issues, like helping one of her wheelchair-using constituents, who spent years unable to leave his inaccessible K\u0101inga Ora home, move into a unit better suited to his needs. \u201cIt actually feels really good to have something really practical you can do for somebody,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She knows it\u2019s a different vibe, though, when she comes down to Wellington. \u201cDown here, you\u2019re dealing with workplace relations a lot of the time, and that means that you are dealing with labour laws, and that\u2019s always going to be a very tricky environment no matter who was the workplace relations minister, right?\u201d van Velden says. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t me, they\u2019d also be getting a lot of flak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooke van Velden and leader David Seymour at the Act Party election campaign launch in July 2020. (Photo: Greg Bowker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the kind of lifestyle every 33-year-old would be able to cope with. So, what\u2019s van Velden most excited to do on that first day out of politics? \u201cWear something that\u2019s not pink,\u201d she jokes. Sad news for fans of that famous pink coat<\/a>. But it shouldn\u2019t take van Velden too long before she\u2019s searching Seek; she\u2019s not the type who feels comfortable twiddling her thumbs.<\/p>\n THE SPINOFF PUB Q+A<\/p>\n How much should a pint cost?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t actually drink a lot of beer myself, so I\u2019m going to put a stab in the dark out there \u2013 on average, around 10 bucks? If you\u2019re going for a really expensive craft beer, I think you should assume it\u2019s gonna be more. If you\u2019re going for Lion Red, you\u2019d expect it\u2019s cheaper.<\/p>\n When I did used to drink beer, it was mainly when I was at university, and I never bought it in a pint, just by the jug. I used to go to Shads at Auckland Uni, and even back then I think it was $10. I had a group of friends that would meet up there every Wednesday before German class.<\/p>\n Do you have a karaoke go-to?<\/p>\n I think everyone\u2019s karaoke go-to, myself included, is \u2018Bohemian Rhapsody\u2019. I do enjoy getting into the rhythm because you can\u2019t take yourself seriously at karaoke, right? You\u2019re supposed to be having fun. The other one that I used to go to was Beyonce\u2019s \u2018Halo\u2019.<\/p>\n Favourite place to get a drink in Aotearoa?<\/p>\n Crumpet. I do like a good cocktail, and I think you\u2019d be hard pressed to find a place that\u2019s better than Crumpet down in Wellington. [Sadly, Crumpet just closed its doors<\/a>.]<\/p>\n Which three MPs would be on your pub quiz team?<\/p>\n Cam Luxton<\/a> and Laura McClure<\/a> from Act, because they are genuinely fun people. Pub quizzes are just for fun. I tend to find that if you win, that\u2019s an added bonus, but the likelihood that you\u2019re gonna do it is so low. Which is why I would bring in Chris Bishop, because he\u2019s the most likely out of anyone in parliament to have the weird, niche cricket knowledge that seems to come up in every quiz.<\/p>\n Which MP from across the aisle would you most like to share a drink with?<\/p>\n Steve Abel<\/a> from the Green Party. I don\u2019t know him that well, which is why it would be interesting to get to know him. But I\u2019ve been able to observe him in select committee\u2026 Steve genuinely engages with the material and takes his job quite seriously, and I\u2019ve admired seeing that.<\/p>\n Is there an alcohol-related law you would like to change?<\/p>\n