Richard and his wife owned an orchard in Appleby from 1980 until 2001. He was a Director of the New Zealand Fruit Growers Federation and has always maintained an interest in good environmental management. He was the Chair of the New Zealand Agrichemical Education Trust. He became a Tasman District Councillor in 2001 and Mayor of Tasman in 2007. He retired from the Mayoralty in 2019. He is a Trustee of Sport Tasman and Chair of the Top of the South Rural Support Trust. Richard became a Trustee of BBBS in March 2020.