Mark Ball

Ball was a police officer for 17 years,{{Cite web|title=Eight youths charged over Tuakau police assault|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/eight-youths-charged-over-tuakau-police-assault/D2QAUTEO5VOR5TEGMOJ4RYDCU4/|access-date=2020-10-31|website=The New Zealand Herald}} policing the South Auckland area. He later owned a business, which he sold when elected as a mayor.{{Cite web|title=Mark Ball|url=https://www.pukekohetravel.co.nz/about-us/tour-escorts/mark-ball.html|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Pukekohe Travel}}

At the 2004 New Zealand local elections, Ball stood and won for the position of Mayor of Franklin.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} He was reelected at the 2007 local elections.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

In 2010, the Franklin District Council (along with the position of Mayor of Franklin) was abolished along with all other councils in the Auckland region when they were merged to form the single Auckland Council.{{Cite news|date=19 August 2010|title=Super city FAQ – all you need to know|work=Newshub|url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215121757/http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2016|access-date=2020-10-31}} Unlike several of the other Auckland Mayors, Ball did not run in the 2010 Auckland mayoral election for the position of Mayor of Auckland.{{Cite web|title=Mayor (1) final results|url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Pages/Finalresults-Mayor.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111063126/http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/Elections/Pages/Finalresults-Mayor.aspx|archive-date=2012-01-11|access-date=2020-10-31}}

The Franklin District Council had applied to remain a standalone council instead of being amalgamated into the larger Auckland council, although this request was denied by then Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide. Ball stated he was "disappointed" with this decision.{{Cite web|date=19 January 2010|title=Franklin residents split between district councils|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/franklin-residents-split-between-district-councils/YSJEEOON23KBUJZXFJ7OIOH3FQ/|access-date=2020-11-01|website=The New Zealand Herald}} In a 2020 interview, a decade after the merger, Ball said that while there was no point going back to the multi-council structure, he believed a review of the supercity was needed, and that vital infrastructure in his region had been passed up in favour of upgrades in Auckland's CBD.{{Cite web|last=Bell|first=Jean|date=2020-11-02|title=Ten years since Auckland Council formed, but how super is the supercity?|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429641/ten-years-since-auckland-council-formed-but-how-super-is-the-supercity|access-date=2020-11-01|publisher=Radio New Zealand}}

Mark Ball leads the Heartland New Zealand Party, which was registered with the Electoral Commission in August 2020.{{cite web|date=18 July 2020|title=Three parties apply to register|url=https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2020/three-parties-apply-to-register/|access-date=18 July 2020|publisher=New Zealand Electoral Commission}} Heartland is a rural-based party that opposes the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, the Paris Agreement, and attempts to limit the environmental impacts of agriculture.{{cite web|author=James Baker|date=17 July 2020|title=New rural Heartland party challenges climate change and water restrictions|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300054112/new-rural-heartland-party-challenges-climate-change-and-water-restrictions|access-date=17 July 2020|publisher=Stuff|location=New Zealand}}

Ball contested the 2020 New Zealand general election for Heartland and was ranked first on its party list of five.{{Cite web|url=https://elections.nz/media-and-news/2020/candidate-and-party-lists-released/|title = Candidate and party lists released}} He was also the party's only electorate candidate, contesting the electorate of Port Waikato, which contains the Franklin area. Ball received 8,462 electorate votes (21% of the vote) and came third; Andrew Bayly won the electorate with 15,635 votes (38%).{{Cite web|title=Port Waikato – Official Result|url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/electorate-details-39.html|access-date=12 November 2020|website=Electoral Commission}}

Since Ball, Heartland's only electorate candidate, did not win his electorate, and the party did not receive the required 5% of the party vote to enter Parliament, Heartland New Zealand did not gain any seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives.{{Cite web|title=2020 General Election and Referendums – Preliminary Count|url=https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020_preliminary/}}

Ball is married to Catherine. They have three adult children and live in Pukekohe.{{Cite web|url=https://www.heartlandparty.org.nz/mark-ball|title = About 1}} In the 2013 New Year Honours, he was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2013 |title=New Year honours list 2013 |date=31 December 2012 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=1 November 2020}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Date of birth missing (living people)

Category:New Zealand police officers

Category:New Zealand justices of the peace

Category:Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal

Category:Mayors of places in the Auckland Region

Category:Leaders of political parties in New Zealand

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)