Ron Mark to stand for NZ First in Wairarapa at 2026 election

New Zealand First has confirmed former MP Ron Mark will stand in Wairarapa at the 2026 election. Mark served as an MP from 1996 to 2008 and again from 2014 to 2020, holding the defence, veterans' affairs, and state-owned enterprises portfolios in the Labour-led coalition government. He also served two stints as Carterton's mayor.