Lieutenant colonel William Hulme (1788–1855)[1] was an officer in the British Army, and commanded the 96th Regiment of Foot, raised at Manchester.
His military career was most notable for his involvement in the "Flagstaff War", also known as the First Anglo-Māori War, which took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1846.
In 1846 he purchased a house in Parnell, Auckland, which became and is still known as Hulme Court. While not open to the public, this is on the New Zealand Historic Places register and is one of the oldest documented houses in Auckland still standing.[2]
William Hulme was later appointed by Governor Grey as the first Postmaster-General of New Zealand's national Post Office. He died on 21 August 1855 in his 68th year. He was buried in Symonds Street Cemetery.