Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs, New Zealand Government
Brooke van Velden is a New Zealand politician serving as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, and Deputy Leader of ACT New Zealand. She is the government minister responsible for introducing and passing the Online Casino Gambling Bill, which introduced a licensing regime for online casinos with harm-minimisation and consumer-protection standards.
Born 15 October 1992, van Velden qualified in international trade and economics and worked as a factory worker and corporate affairs consultant before entering politics. She helped pass the End of Life Choice Act as a behind-the-scenes parliamentary staffer.
She was first elected to Parliament as an ACT list MP in the 2020 general election and re-elected in 2023 as the MP for Tāmaki. As Minister of Internal Affairs, she championed the Online Casino Gambling Bill, which passed its final reading in 2025.