As the Speaker could only vote in the event of a tie, re-appointing Gray to the Speakership would leave Parliament deadlocked.
[9] As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gray was entitled to the title of The Honourable, and he was granted use of the honorific for the rest of his life in 1994.
[10] After stepping down as an MP, Gray retired to Mosgiel, but continued to make occasional appearances and commentary at various conferences around New Zealand.
He was mildly critical of the National Party for failing to promote members' interests at conferences, to which he achieved a degree of success in ensuring delegates had more opportunity for engagement at the formal meetings.
[11] Gray was the founding president on the board of trustees for the New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust.
After retiring from farming, he transferred to Lodge St John 84 in Mosgiel in 1995, and was appointed grand lecturer the following year.