He finished up at the station in late June and is due to start his new job on August 1. Stations he now controls include Twizel, Fairlie, Geraldine and Pleasant Point.
He also retains his position as the Mackenzie supervisor despite the shift.
The move was prompted by his children leaving the area and his desire for new challenges.
Sgt van der Heyden (53) said Waimate was a strong community that worked together to help each other reach their potential and rebuild after tragedy.
He said cases that stood out and would stay with him included the 2001 collision between the Southerner train and the trailer of a Transport Waimate stock truck, which injured 21 people, the drowning of two school pupils in 2000 and murders in the district.
He had a passion for rural policing and believed it had a positive impact on a community's growth.
"Taking on the Temuka, Mackenzie area will provide me with that challenge and provide me with that rural policing career.''
One year in the North Island city of Hamilton early on in his career was all he needed of city police work.
Sgt van der Heyden is married with four children.
