Thomas Donne

Donne was subsequently transferred to the Railways Department and in 1876 he was appointed stationmaster and postmaster at Caversham before being promoted to similar positions in larger towns.

[2] After his health returned Donne continued his steady rise through the ranks of the Railways Department and was appointed stationmaster of Wellington in 1885 and District Traffic Manager in 1894.

[5] He encouraged the development of tourist attractions and businesses, most notably in Rotorua, improved the government owned spas and health resorts, and oversaw the establishment of the scenic reserve network.

[6] The health resorts owned by the Government, such as Rotorua, Hanmer Springs and Te Aroha, were transferred to the department's control when it was created in 1901.

[9] Donne became heavily involved in promoting New Zealand trade and tourism at world and national fairs.

The exhibit included paintings and photographs of the scenery, hunting and fishing trophies and Māori culture.

He arranged for 10 portraits of significant Māori by Gottfried Lindauer to be borrowed from the Partridge Collection for exhibition at this fair.

[10] He extended the exhibit to ensure that New Zealand products were featured including examples of wood and kauri gum, grains, wool and flax hemp.

The department had its own court and concentrated on themes similar to those displayed at the St Louis World's Fair.

[13] In 1909 Donne was appointed to the position of Trade and Immigration Commissioner at the New Zealand High Commission in London.

[14] After his arrival in London in July 1909 Donne set to work investigating the possibility of using Bristol as a port for New Zealand goods.

Bethune & Co.[35] When in London he continued to develop his collection and corresponded, purchased and swapped artifacts, works on paper and artworks with numerous other collectors including Horatio Gordon Robley,;[36] Kenneth Athol Webster;[37] and Alfred Walter Francis Fuller.

Te Wharepuni-a-Maui was first situated at the Whakarewarewa model village in Rotorua[38] before being rented to the New Zealand International Exhibition.

On White's death in 1904 the collection of jade was sold to an Englishman named J. Struan Robertson who was touring New Zealand.

The balance of his collection of New Zealand watercolours, drawings, artifacts and natural history specimens was sold at Sotheby's London on 1 November 1973.