"not active", and that he would not rule out standing for Parliament with another party. Mayor of Carterton In 2010, Mark was elected Mayor of Carterton in the Wairarapa. He succeeded outspoken mayor Gary McPhee who retired after two terms. In the 2013 local elections, Mark was returned as mayor unopposed. Return to politics, 2014–2020 Mark stood as a New Zealand First candidate at the 2014 general election, finishing third in the Wairarapa electorate. However, his ninth placing on the New Zealand First list saw him returned to Parliament, and he resigned as Mayor of Carterton, and was replaced by John Booth. When the new Parliament was sworn in on 20 October 2014, Mark was one of two MPs nominated for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives. He received 13 votes, coming second to incumbent Speaker David Carter. On 3 July 2015, he replaced Tracey Martin as deputy leader of New Zealand First. During the , Mark contested Wairarapa, finishing third place. However, he was re-elected into Parliament on New Zealand First's party list. Following the 2017 general election, Mark was appointed Minister of Defence and Veterans following the formation of a coalition government consisting of the Labour Party, New Zealand First, and the Green Party. Mark was succeeded as New Zealand First deputy leader by Fletcher Tabuteau on 27 February 2018. During the 2020 general election held on 17 October, Mark contested the Wairarapa electorate, coming third place behind Labour's candidate Kieran McAnulty and National's candidate Mike Butterick. He and his fellow NZ First MPs lost their seats after the party's vote dropped to 2.6%, below the five percent threshold needed to enter Parliament. On 9 November 2020, Mark was granted retention of the title "The Honourable" for life, in recognition of his term as a member of the Executive Council. After politics, 2020–present Mark and other former New Zealand First MPs were approached by the media ahead of the party's AGM in June 2021. He said that he would not be attending the meeting or renewing his party membership, as he was finished with politics and not interested in returning to Parliament. Mark travelled to Ukraine to assist with humanitarian efforts during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mark was re-elected as Mayor of Carterton in the 2022 New Zealand local elections. He ran on a campaign for more scrutiny of council operations to avoid