Jack Arnold Elder (born 3 July 1949) is a New Zealand former politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the Labour Party, New Zealand First and Mauri Pacific. Early life Jack Elder was born and raised in West Auckland, attending New Lynn Primary, Avondale Intermediate and Kelston Boys High School – where he was head boy and captain of the rugby first fifteen. Elder studied politics and history at the University of Auckland and alongside future Prime Minister Helen Clark and future Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff was a member of Princes Street Labour. Elder was awarded a B.A in both History and Political Studies as well as a M.A in Political Studies. He then became a teacher at schools such as Henderson High School from 1974 to 1977 and Rutherford College from 1979 to 1981. He was a member of the New Lynn Borough Council from 1976 to 1983 including being elected Deputy Mayor in 1980. In 1975 he unsuccessfully sought the Labour Party candidacy for the electorate alongside 26 other aspirants following the retirement of Hugh Watt, but lost to Frank Rogers. In 1980 he put his name forward to replace long serving MP Warren Freer in the safe Labour seat of Mount Albert, but missed out on the nomination to Helen Clark. Member of Parliament Elder was first elected to Parliament in the 1984 election as the Labour MP for , having previously made unsuccessful attempts in Helensville in the 1978 election and the 1981 election. He was re-elected in the 1987 election, the 1990 election, and in the 1993 election. In 1990, Elder was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal. After the 1990 election he was appointed Shadow Minister of Agriculture by Mike Moore. In January 1993 he also picked up the Overseas Trade portfolio in a minor reshuffle. Within the Labour Party, Elder was a staunch supporter of Moore, and belonged to the more economically liberal wing of the party. When Helen Clark replaced Moore as party leader he was dropped from the Agriculture portfolio, but continued as Shadow Minister of Overseas Trade. Elder remained aligned with Moore and consequently he was ranked 40th on Labour's party list, the lowest of any sitting MP. In response he questioned his ties with Labour and position in parliament, not ruling out resigning and forcing a by-election. Clark countered Elder's critiques saying Elder's