Parti travailliste
He was deeply involved with the early development of the Labour Party, from establishing the Independent Political Labour League via the original New Zealand Labour Party and the United Labour Party to the current Labour Party formed in 1916. He was New Zealand Labour Party president 1918 to 1920, and stood as Labour Party candidate for Dunedin South in 1919; losing by only 84 votes against Thomas Sidey of the Liberal Party; he did not stand for parliament again.