Mark Patterson (New Zealand politician)
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Mark Patterson
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Zealand First party list | |
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Assumed office 14 October 2023 |
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In office 23 September 2017 – 17 October 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mark William James Patterson
1970 (age 53–54) |
| Political party | New Zealand First (2015–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
National (2007–2015) |
Mark William James Patterson (born 1970) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party.
Career before politics
Patterson had a career as a sheep farmer in Lawrence, Otago, and was involved with the Meat Industry Excellence Group.
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2020 | 52nd | List | 7 | NZ First | |
| 2023–present | 54th | List | 4 | NZ First | |
National Party candidacy
Patterson was previously involved with the National Party and unsuccessfully contested the nomination for the Clutha-Southland electorate in 2014 upon Bill English's decision to become a List MP, but lost to Todd Barclay.
First term, 2017–2020
In the 2017 election Patterson stood for New Zealand First in the Clutha-Southland electorate and was placed 7 on the New Zealand First party list. He duly entered parliament via the party list.
As a member of Parliament, Patterson served as a member on both the Education and Workforce, and Primary Production Select Committees. Patterson is the New Zealand First Party spokesperson for Agriculture and Primary Industry, Bio-Security, Christchurch Earthquake Recovery, Crown Minerals, Customs, Food Safety, Intellectual Property, and Land Information.
Patterson sponsored a total of three bills in his first parliamentary term, the New Zealand Superannuation and Retirement Income (Fair Residency) Amendment Bill, the Gore District Council (Otama Rural Water Supply) Bill, and the Farm Debt Mediation Bill.
Patterson was announced as the New Zealand First candidate for the newly formed Taieri electorate for the 2020 general election.
During the 2020 general election held on 17 October, Patterson unsuccessfully contested Taieri, coming fourth place. He and his fellow NZ First MPs lost their seats after the party's vote dropped to 2.7%, below the five percent threshold needed to enter Parliament.
Second term, 2023–present
On 16 September 2023, Patterson was ranked fourth place on New Zealand First's party list for the 2023 New Zealand general election and contested the Taieri electorate. During the 2023 election, Patterson came fourth place in the Taeiri electorate, gaining 3,069 votes. He was re-elected to Parliament on the NZ First party list. NZ First reentered Parliament, with 6.08% of the popular vote and eight seats.
Following the formation of the National-led coalition government, Patterson assumed the positions of Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture in late November 2023.