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Augustus Hamilton, the second Director of the Museum from 1903-1913, was born in Dorset in 1854. He came to New Zealand in 1875 where he taught until 1890, when he was appointed Registrar of the University of Otago. He became Director of the Colonial Museum in 1903 when Sir James Hector retired. His interests were very wide but his greatest was the study of Maori culture. His large personal collection of Maori material along with his purchases and acquisitions as director form a significant part of the present day exhibits. Hamilton tried unsuccessfully to obtain a new museum building because of the great fire risk that the old building was to the large and expanding Maori collection. He also stimulated work on the growing natural history material. He died suddenly at the Bay of Islands in 1913.