Mark Mitchell (New Zealand politician)

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The Honourable
Mark Mitchell
MP
Mitchell in 2023
43rd Minister of Police
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byGinny Andersen
14th Minister of Corrections
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byKelvin Davis
29th Minister for Emergency Management
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byKieran McAnulty
39th Minister of Defence
In office
2 May 2017 – 26 October 2017
Prime MinisterBill English
Preceded byGerry Brownlee
Succeeded byRon Mark
15th Minister for Land Information
In office
20 December 2016 – 26 October 2017
Prime MinisterBill English
Preceded byLouise Upston
Succeeded byEugenie Sage
28th Minister of Statistics
In office
20 December 2016 – 2 May 2017
Prime MinisterBill English
Preceded byCraig Foss
Succeeded byScott Simpson
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Whangaparāoa (2020–present),
Rodney (2011–2020)
Assumed office
26 November 2011
Preceded byLockwood Smith
Majority7,823
Personal details
Born (1968-05-22) 22 May 1968 (age 55)
Auckland
Political partyNational Party
RelationsFrank Gill (grandfather)
Websitemarkmitchell.co.nz

Mark Patrick Mitchell (born 22 May 1968)[1] is a New Zealand politician, former police officer and security contractor, and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives since 2011. He is a member of the National Party.

Early life and career[edit]

Mitchell was born on Auckland's North Shore and lived his early years at Whenuapai air base, where his father was a flight lieutenant flying Orion aircraft and his mother's father, Air Commodore Frank Gill, was the base commander.[2] Gill was later a National Party cabinet minister, between 1975 and 1980.[3] Mitchell attended Rosmini College, a Catholic school.[2]

He was in the New Zealand Police for thirteen years from 1989 to 2002, including time as a dog handler and in the Armed Offenders Squad.[2] After leaving the police, Mitchell undertook an executive education short course at Wharton Business School.[4]

Mitchell went to Iraq in 2003 to work for British kidnap and ransom risk-management company Control Risks, providing security to officials of the Coalition Provisional Authority government.[3] He and his men were besieged in the Italian-run An Nasiriyah compound in southern Iraq by the Mahdi militia for five days in 2004.[3][5] He spent a period training Iraqi security forces in 2004, before leaving Iraq.[3] He has refused to confirm whether he killed anyone in conflict, instead saying there were "casualties on both sides".[6]

He then spent six years based in Kuwait. He went to work for Kuwait firm Agility Logistics, which was supplying food to military forces in Iraq. The company set up subsidiary Threat Management Group, with Mitchell as CEO and shareholder, to improve security for its logistics staff.[3][7] The company took on contracts protecting infrastructure and Mitchell dealt with kidnap and ransom negotiations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Darfur.[3] He sold Threat Management Group in 2010, when it had an annual turnover of $130 million, and the sale made him wealthy.[3][7]

Member of Parliament[edit]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2011–2014 50th Rodney 59 National
2014–2017 51st Rodney 42 National
2017–2020 52nd Rodney 21 National
2020–2023 53rd Whangaparāoa 15 National
2023–present 54th Whangaparāoa 11 National

Fifth National Government, 2011–2017[edit]

When National MP for Rodney and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Lockwood Smith decided to contest the 2011 New Zealand general election as a list only candidate, Mitchell was a candidate to replace him in Rodney and officially won the National Party pre-selection contest for the seat on 26 April 2011.[8] Mitchell won the seat with over 53% of the vote, defeating his nearest rival, Conservative Party founder and leader Colin Craig by over 12,000 votes.[9]

Mitchell voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand.[10]

In 2014, Nicky Hager's book Dirty Politics presented evidence that suggested that Mitchell had hired political strategist Simon Lusk during the National Party selection process for the Rodney electorate. Lusk appeared to have collaborated with blogger Cameron Slater to discredit Mitchell's opponents, particularly Brent Robinson. Mitchell strongly denies ever paying Lusk or Slater.[11]

He served as Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee from the 2014 general election. When John Key resigned as Prime Minister and Bill English replaced him in 2016, Mitchell was appointed as Minister for Land Information and Minister of Statistics outside of cabinet by the new Prime Minister.[12] When English reshuffled his cabinet in 2017, Mitchell was considered one of the "big winners" in the reshuffle, being promoted into cabinet and being made Minister of Defence, replacing Gerry Brownlee who was moved into the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the reshuffle Mitchell kept the Land Information portfolio while being replaced in the Statistics portfolio by Scott Simpson.[13]

In opposition, 2017–2023[edit]

During the 2017 general election, Mark Mitchell was re-elected in the Rodney electorate, defeating Labour candidate Marja Lubeck by a margin of 19,561 votes.[14] Following the formation of a Labour-led coalition government, Mitchell was appointed as National's Spokesperson for the defence, disarmament, and justice portfolios.[15] On 22 January 2019, he was designated as National's Spokesperson for Pike River Re-entry.[16][17]

Following the resignation of short-lived National party leader Todd Muller on 14 July 2020, Mitchell ran against fellow MP Judith Collins for the position of Leader of the National Party. Ultimately, he lost the election for the position as he was not able to get the required 29 members of the National caucus to back him despite backing from former National leader Simon Bridges.[18]

During the 2020 general election, Mitchell won the seat of Whangaparāoa (which had replaced his previous electorate of Rodney) by a final margin of 7,823 votes.[19] Following the election, Mitchell ruled out challenging party leader Collins in the wake of National's landslide defeat.[20]

In August 2021 the New Zealand Herald reported that Mitchell was understood to be firming up a bid for Mayor of Auckland in 2022.[21] In October 2021, however, he announced that he had decided not to stand.[22]

In November 2022 Mitchell, as National's police spokesperson, defended his party's proposed boot camps (known as Youth Offender Military Academies) for youth offenders. Mitchell argued that the boot camps would turn young people's lives around and make New Zealand's streets safe.[23] He also disputed Justice Minister Kiri Allan and former Chief Science Adviser Sir Peter Gluckman's criticism of the effectiveness of boot camps while defending the effectiveness of the previous National Government's "military activity camps."[24] In August 2023, Mitchell said that these military academies would be modelled after the New Zealand Defence Force's six-week Limited Service Volunteer programme. Youth offenders would take courses in numeracy, team-building, literacy and physical activities. He said that the Academies would last for one year and would be based at several military bases including Trentham Military Camp in Upper Hutt, Whenuapai's RNZAF Base Auckland, and Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch.[25]

In late September 2023 Mitchell was confronted by members of "They're Our Whānau," who submitted a 5,000-strong petition opposing National and ACT's anti-gang policies. The group's spokesperson Matilda Kahotea claimed that National's anti-gang rhetoric was attacking Māori people. Mitchell rejected the petition, describing gangs as "organised criminal groups responsible for violence and peddling meth". Mitchell offered to help any gang members leave their gangs. Kahotea and fellow delegate Taniora Tamihana accused Mitchell of "arrogant" and "intimidating" conduct. When members of the group denied they were connected with gangs, Mitchell responded that they were part of a "gang hikoi" opposing his party's policies towards gangs. Unable to convince Mitchell, the group began chanting "They're not listening, they're our whānau," prompting Mitchel to leave.[26][27] Following the confrontation, the National Party issued a statement promising several tough, new anti-gang laws including a ban on gang patches and insignia being worn in public, police being empowered to disperse large gang gatherings, and new police powers to search gang members' homes and vehicles without a warrant.[26]

In Government, 2023–present[edit]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Mitchell was re-elected in Whangaparāoa by a margin of 23,376, defeating Labour's candidate Estefania Muller Pallarès.[28]

Following the formation of the National-led coalition government in late November 2023, Mitchell was appointed as Minister of Corrections, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery, and Minister of Police.[29]

On 8 December 2023 Mitchell as Police Minister met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out the Government's expectations for Police and combating gangs. Coster agreed to the Minister's expectations.[30]

On 25 February 2024, Mitchell and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced that the Government would introduce legislation to ban gang insignia in public places, enable Police to disperse gang gatherings, allow Courts to ban gang members from communicating for at least three years, and giving greater weight to gang membership during sentencing. Mitchell also confirmed the ban on gang insignia would apply to funerals and tangi. During the press conference, Mitchell said "For too long gangs have been allowed to behave as if they are above the law. There is no tolerance for this behaviour and these new laws will support Police to take action against it."[31]

Personal life[edit]

Mitchell has two biological children and three step-children. In 2011, he married Peggy Bourne, the widow of rally driver Possum Bourne.[8][32] They separated and as of 2021, Mitchell is in a new relationship.[33]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Dominion Post (17 March 2012). "Mitchell Primed for Next Battle". Press Reader. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Mitchell, Mark (16 February 2012). "Mitchell, Mark: Address in Reply". Hansard. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Alexander, Miriyana (27 March 2011). "In the line of duty". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 27 November 2021 – via Stuff.
  4. ^ "Local Matters – Mark Mitchell – National". www.localmatters.co.nz. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  5. ^ Hager, Nicky (2014). "5. Simon Lusk's Plan". Dirty Politics. Craig Potton. footnote 43. ISBN 9781927213360.
  6. ^ "National leadership hopeful Mark Mitchell on gay marriage and war". Newshub. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b Couch, Daniel (21 February 2018). "Why aspiring National leader Mark Mitchell's war-for-profit past matters". The Spinoff. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b National selects Mark Mitchell for Rodney stuff.co.nz, 26 April 2011
  9. ^ "Election Results – Rodney". Archived from the original on 3 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Gay marriage: How MPs voted". The New Zealand Herald. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  11. ^ Chang, Derek (26 August 2014). "Disclosures disgust defeated candidate". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Bill English reveals his reshuffled Cabinet in Wellington".
  13. ^ "Prime Minister Bill English reveals new-look Cabinet".
  14. ^ "Rodney – Official Result 2017". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Mark Mitchell". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Bennett named drug reform spokesperson in shadow cabinet reshuffle". Radio New Zealand. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  17. ^ Coughlan, Thomas (22 January 2019). "Bridges begins year with a reshuffle". Newsroom. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  18. ^ "Judith Collins' bid to underscore 'strong team' brand in reshuffle". Radio New Zealand. 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Whangaparāoa – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Mark Mitchell rules out challenging Judith Collins for National's leadership". 1 News. 18 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Auckland mayoral race firming up: Mark Mitchell versus David Shearer?".
  22. ^ Orsman, Bernard (5 October 2021). "National MP Mark Mitchell not standing for Auckland Mayoralty". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Chances military camps 'fix' youth offending 'close to zero' – expert". 1 News. TVNZ. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  24. ^ Why reboot bootcamp? National's Police Spokesperson breaks down plan to tackle youth crime (YouTube video). Newshub. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  25. ^ Weekes, John (21 August 2023). "Retail crime: Supermarket giant changing store design, getting staff new radios after assault 'tsunami'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  26. ^ a b McCulloch, Craig (28 September 2023). "National MP, gang supporters clash in protest on Parliament forecourt – 'Is that a threat?'". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  27. ^ Iasona, Seni; Hendry-Tennent, Ireland (28 September 2023). "Election 2023: National's Mark Mitchell clashes with whānau of gang members presenting petition". Newshub. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Whangaparāoa – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Cabinet lineup for new government unveiled – who gets what?". Radio New Zealand. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Minister sets expectations of Commissioner". Beehive.govt.nz. New Zealand Government. 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  31. ^ Orsman, Bernard (25 February 2024). "Gang crackdown: Government to introduce legislation to ban gang insignia in public places and gathering in groups". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Peggy Bourne weds National Party politician". Herald on Sunday. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  33. ^ Hogan, Finn (3 July 2021). "Backstory: National MP Mark Mitchell shares heartbreaking story of losing younger brother to suicide". Newshub. Retrieved 28 August 2021.

External links[edit]

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rodney
2011–2020 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Whangaparāoa
2020–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Land Information
2016–2017 		Succeeded by
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