Vanessa Weenink

Vanessa Weenink is a New Zealand politician and medical doctor who has served as the Member of Parliament for Banks Peninsula since 2023. Before entering politics, she spent two decades as a general practitioner and served nearly 22 years in the New Zealand Army and Territorials, including deployments to Afghanistan and East Timor. A former member of the Labour Party, she transitioned to the National Party following her involvement in medical advocacy with the New Zealand Medical Association. Weenink describes her political stance as socially liberal and fiscally conservative.