In 1863 he was elected a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and on retiring from the provincial government in 1869 he joined the William Fox ministry as colonial treasurer, afterward becoming successively postmaster-general, commissioner of customs, and telegraph commissioner.
In 1863 he was elected a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives in the Dunedin and Suburbs North electorate. On retiring from the provincial government in 1869, he joined the William Fox ministry as colonial treasurer, afterward becoming successively postmaster-general, commissioner of customs, and telegraph commissioner.