Having done well academically, he attended Auckland University College studying towards a medical degree but went back to Massey after a year, from where he graduated with a bachelor in agricultural science.
Together with Charles Watson-Munro, he developed a payment scheme for their scientists linked to their scientific output; this was adopted by the State Services Commission and later applied across most of the public sector.
Faced with significant budget cuts, he worked with the government on achieving a transparent accountability, with scientific research geared towards what was useful for industry and the country.
He grew the DSIR to an internationally recognised organisation with strong scientific output, and maintained the trust and confidence of successive government ministers.
[1][5] On 22 September 1945 at St Columba's Presbyterian Church in Warkworth, Hamilton married Alice Annie Morrison.
[1] In the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hamilton was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services as director-general of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
[8][9] In 1971, he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree by Massey University for his economic work on the dairy industry during the war.