[2] Read and his wife sailed to New Zealand in 1901 settling in Wellington, where he found work as a trade unionist.

[2] In 1918 he sought the Labour nomination for the Wellington Central by-election, but lost to Peter Fraser.

[5] He stood as the Labour Party's candidate for Mayor of Wellington in the 1919 election, but was beaten by incumbent John Luke.

[6] Later that year Read also stood for the Wellington North electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1919 election for the Labour Party where he placed last out of three candidates in a tight race also won by Luke.

[7] Following the death of Wellington City Councillor William Bennett of the Citizens' Association (who had been the Deputy Mayor), Read won the resulting by-election, beating former city councillor and MP Thomas Forsyth.