Mark William James Patterson MP (born 1970)[1] is a New Zealand farmer, lobbyist and politician.

[2] In the 1990s, Patterson was a pupil at Ellesmere College, where future National Party MP Gerry Brownlee was his woodwork teacher.

With his wife, Jude Howell Patterson, he purchased a 500-hectare sheep farm in Lawrence, Otago, in 2008.

[5][6] Patterson was a vocal advocate for a failed merger between the two major co-operatives, Silver Fern Farms and Alliance Group, and was critical of Silver Fern Farms' joint venture with Bright Food subsidiary Shanghai Maling Aquarius Ltd.[7][8] Patterson's lobbying against the deal was characterised as being "anti-Chinese.

[11][12] Patterson was previously involved with the National Party and unsuccessfully contested the nomination for the Clutha-Southland electorate in 2014 upon Bill English's decision to become a List MP, but lost to Todd Barclay.

[15] In his first term, Patterson served as a member on both the education and workforce, and primary production committees.

Patterson was the New Zealand First spokesperson for agriculture and primary industries, biosecurity, Christchurch earthquake recovery, Crown minerals, customs, food safety, intellectual property, and land information.

[16] As agriculture spokesperson, Patterson was critical of the proposed sale of Westland Milk to the China-based Yili Group.

[28] He and his fellow NZ First MPs lost their seats after the party's vote dropped to 2.7%, below the five percent threshold needed to remain in Parliament.