Mark Mitchell is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives

New Zealand House of Representatives

The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....

. He is a member of the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

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Early life

Mitchell was born on Auckland's North Shore and attended Rosmini College

Rosmini College

Rosmini College is a state integrated Catholic secondary school for boys, situated in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. The school caters to Years 7-13 , and currently has a cosmopolitan roll of approximately 960....

. He then attended the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

.

He was in the New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police

The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...

 for fourteen years, including time as a dog handler, before leaving in 2003. After leaving the police, Mitchell worked for eight years as a international hostage negotiator and spent time in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

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Member of Parliament

Mitchell was selected as the National Party's

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

 candidate for Rodney

Rodney (New Zealand electorate)

rightRodney is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rodney is Mark Mitchell of the National Party...

 on 26 April 2011, replacing Lockwood Smith

Lockwood Smith

Alexander Lockwood Smith is a New Zealand politician, the 28th and current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Smith is a member of the New Zealand National Party, who has served as a Member of Parliament since 1984...

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Personal life

Mitchell's has had two previous marriages and is currently married to Peggy Bourne, who is the widow of rally driver Possum Bourne.

His grandfather was Frank Gill

Frank Gill (politician)

Thomas Francis "Frank" Gill was a New Zealand politician of the National Party, and an Air Commodore in the RNZAF.He represented the Waitemata electorate in Parliament from 1969 to 1972, and then the East Coast Bays electorate in Parliament from 1972 to 1980, when he resigned.He was a Cabinet...

, a cabinet minister between 1975 and 1980.