Defence Minister Ron Mark is tapping into his love of country music by recording his first album. The covers album, two years in the making, is a special project for his whānau.
"This is a bucket list thing, It's one of those things you always dream about doing, it's one of those things I've always liked the idea of doing- is recording an album, maybe something you could give to the grandkids."
As a teen Mark always had a love for singing but not all his family shared the same affection for his musical talents.
"I had all my gear set up and I was playing, singing and practicing. When I went in for dinner that night my foster dad, he's a really good guy but he just got it wrong, we were sitting having dinner and he said to me, 'Ronnie was that you singing this afternoon?' and I said 'yeah' and he said 'oh thank god for that I thought one of the cows had gone down' and that killed my confidence."
But one of Mark's idols pushed him back into the music game and he hasn't looked back since.
"Dennis Marsh threw a microphone into my hand in front of an audience of about 600 people in a New Plymouth club, he was singing and he just handed me the mic to carry on and that was a bit of a moment because I'd never sung in front of so many people."
The album's tracks tie into different points in Mark's life.
"Songs of Home by Eddie Low, that reminds me of the times I spent in the military away from home and always thinking about home so I just hope people like that."
When it comes to album sales Mark says that’s not the aim.
"If I was to ever sell it I'd want it to go to somewhere with a cause, that's assuming people buy the thing, you've got to be realistic about that, but [probably] foster kids, foster children that would probably be it."
Mark expects his album, Never Give Up, to be complete in three weeks.