[1] In the 1974 local-body elections he stood as a Labour candidate for the Auckland Regional Authority in the Onehunga ward, but was unsuccessful.
[3] A year later he won nomination for the safe Labour seat of Onehunga following the retirement of former Deputy Prime Minister Hugh Watt who had been appointed New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
He won selection over 26 other aspirants including better known candidates such as Malcolm Douglas, Jack Elder and Barry Gustafson.
Accordingly, ahead of the 1978 election there were several challengers amongst the local party for the Labour nomination in Onehunga (including his predecessor Hugh Watt).
[9] Rogers died on 25 April 1980 in Whangārei Hospital several days after having a stroke after stopping to help two people who survived a car crash in Northland.