Steward and Joseph O'Meagher contested the election as abolitionists (i.e. they were in favour of abolishing the provincial government), while Thomas William Hislop and Shrimski were provincialists (i.e. they favoured the retention of provincial government).

[11] The provincialists won the election by quite some margin, and both became members of parliament for the first time.

[14][15] The resulting 1880 by-election was won by George Jones, who served alongside Shrimski until 1881.

[17] In the 1884 general election, he defeated Viscount Reidhaven (who later became the Earl of Seafield when he succeeded his father).

[21] After having been ill for five weeks, he died at his residence in Lower Symonds Street, Auckland, on 25 June 1902.