Ron Mark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron Mark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 40th Minister of Defence | |
| In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
| Preceded by | Mark Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Peeni Henare |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Zealand First list | |
| In office 20 September 2014 – 17 October 2020 | |
| In office 12 October 1996 – 8 November 2008 | |
| Mayor of Carterton District | |
| In office 8 October 2022 – 29 October 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Greg Lang |
| Succeeded by | Steve Cretney |
| In office 9 October 2010 – September 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Gary McPhee |
| Succeeded by | John Booth |
| 4th Deputy Leader of New Zealand First | |
| In office 3 July 2015 – 27 February 2018 | |
| Leader | Winston Peters |
| Preceded by | Tracey Martin |
| Succeeded by | Fletcher Tabuteau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 January 1954 Masterton, New Zealand |
| Party | Labour (1990–1993) New Zealand First (1996–present) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5 |
| Occupation | Business owner/operator |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  New Zealand Oman |
| Branch/service | New Zealand Army Sultan's Special Forces |
| Years of service | 1971–1986; 1985–1990 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Multinational Force and Observers |
| Awards | New Zealand Operational Service Medal New Zealand General Service Medal (Sinai) New Zealand Defence Service Medal Multinational Service Medal and Bar Order of the Special Royal Emblem for expatriate officers The Oman Peace Medal The Glorious Fifteenth National Day Medal |
Ron Stanley Mark (born 29 January 1954) is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party, and former soldier, who served as Minister of Defence between October 2017 and November 2020. He served as mayor of Carterton from 2010 to 2014, and again from 2022 defeating incumbent Greg Lang.[2]
Mark was born in Masterton on 29 January 1954, the son of Apiti Stanley Maaka and Te Aroha Maaka (née Grace).[3] He was fostered with six Pākehā foster families in Pahiatua, saying "I wouldn’t have survived without them".[4] He was educated at Tararua College from 1968 to 1970. Mark's first wife was Gail (née Berry) Mark, and the couple had four children.[3] On 12 February 2012, Mark told The New Zealand Herald that his partner of seven years, Christine Tracey, had made a leap year proposal.[1] Marama Fox, formerly a Māori Party MP, is a cousin of Mark.[5]
Military and professional careers
Mark pursued a military career between 1971 and 1990,[3] initially serving in the New Zealand Army. His first unit was the Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers before moving to 2/1 Battalion, 3 and 10 Tpt Regiments and Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles before passing New Zealand Special Air Service selection.[6] Mark served a 13-month tour of duty in the Sinai with the Multinational Force and Observers in 1982–83. After being refused entry into the NZSAS, he was contracted to the Sultanate of Oman as a technical staff officer from 1985 to 1986, and then joined the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces becoming an electrical and mechanical engineering officer in the Sultan's Special Force Electrical and Mechanical Engineers between 1986 and 1990.[3][6]
Between 1990 and 1996, Mark was a commercial consultant, ran an import and export business, and was an amusement park operator.[3]
Member of Parliament, 1996–2008
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1999 | 45th | List | 11 | NZ First | |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | List | 4 | NZ First | |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | List | 4 | NZ First | |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | List | 4 | NZ First | |
| 2014–2017 | 51st | List | 9 | NZ First | |
| 2017–2020 | 52nd | List | 2 | NZ First | |
In the 1993 election he was the Labour candidate for the Selwyn electorate. He was later involved in the discussions about the formation of the New Zealand Democratic Coalition.[7] When these failed, he joined New Zealand First. He was a list MP from the 1996 election until his party's failure to retain any seats in the 2008 election. During the (1996–98) coalition between New Zealand First and the National Party, he was the government's Senior Whip.[8]
The New Zealand television channel TV3 was banned for three days from filming in Parliament in August 2006 for showing Mark repeatedly giving the finger to another MP.[9]
In 2009, Mark told media that while he still had a subscription with New Zealand First, he was "not active", and that he would not rule out standing for Parliament with another party.[10]
