His mother was a radiographer; his father was a school teacher who had emigrated from Northern Ireland.

[2] He also holds qualifications in teaching English as a second language, quantity surveying, and diamond grading.

[2] Prior to becoming Chief Censor, Jack had been group manager of the legal and advisory services at New Zealand Customs Service and chief legal advisor for the New Zealand Police.

[2] His work during his time as chief censor included the Classification Office banning objectionable slogans and artwork on Wicked campervans.

He said in an interview, "These are four-foot high mobile billboards advocating the consumption of illicit drugs using characters that are understood, attractive and recognised by children and that's just not OK."[2] As of 2016, Jack lived in Vogeltown, Wellington with his wife Jan and their three dogs.