Vanessa Weenink | |
|---|---|
.png) Weenink in 2023 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forBanks Peninsula | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tracey McLellan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1978-11-08)8 November 1978 (age 47) |
| Political party | National |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
Vanessa Joan Weenink (born 8 November 1978) is a New Zealand politician. She was elected as a Member of theNew Zealand House of Representatives forBanks Peninsula, representing theNational Party, in the2023 New Zealand general election. She is a doctor by training.
Weenink was born on 8 November 1978 at Holmdale, the maternity hospital inBlenheim. Her parents were Ross and Joan Weenink.[1][2] She grew up inCanvastown.[3] She is married to oncologist Matthew Strother; the couple share a blended family of five children.[4]
Weenink trained as a doctor and worked as ageneral practitioner for 20 years. She was also an army medical officer.[4] Weenink served nearly 22 years in theNew Zealand Army and theNew Zealand Territorials. During that time, she was deployed three times with two tours inAfghanistan and one inEast Timor in 2006.[5]
Weenink became involved in medical advocacy in 2019, and was the deputy chair of theNew Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) and chair of the NZMA's General Practitioners Council. She had previously been a member of theLabour Party and had campaigned alongsideDuncan Webb inChristchurch Central in2017, but resigned in order to be more involved with the NZMA. After the NZMA was disestablished in 2022, she joined theNational Party.[6]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | 54th | Banks Peninsula | 40 | National | |
Weenink had previously been a member of theLabour Party and had campaigned alongsideDuncan Webb inChristchurch Central in2017, but resigned in order to be more involved with the NZMA. After the NZMA was disestablished in 2022, she joined theNational Party.[6] She sought the National Party nomination forIlam for the2023 general election, but was unsuccessful.[4]
She was announced as National's candidate forBanks Peninsula in March 2023[6] and was also ranked 40th on the National Party. According to final results, Weenink won the electorate with an 396-vote lead over incumbentTracey McLellan,[7] flipping the seat to National for the first time in over two decades (the electorate was last won by National in the1996 election).[8]
In Weenink'smaiden parliamentary speech, she described herself associally liberal andfiscally conservative.[5]
In December 2023, it was revealed that Weenink disagreed with her party’s position on smoke-free legislation. Newshub uncovered previous Facebook comments from Weenink in April 2021 on the Facebook page ofLabour Party MPDuncan Webb[9][10] in which she stated her belief that "The nicotine level idea is a good one." in relation to the Labour governments smoke-free plans and legislation. She went on to refuse to provide comment on this stating that she now had a role as a backbench MP and it was not appropriate for her to comment.[11]
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Banks Peninsula 2023–present | Incumbent |
