Seddon Bennington

The reforms which he brought to the center proved popular with the general public and it became the most popular museum of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh during his term as director, and continued to be the most visited museum of the Carnegie system in July 2009.

One of the highlights of his tenure was the opening of the "Monet and the Impressionists" exhibition at Te Papa in early 2009. The travelling exhibit, featuring Monet's masterpieces, arrived at Te Papa following two years of negotiations with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Bennington noted at the time, "It's the most significant collection of works by Monet that will ever have come to New Zealand or Australia. It's certainly the most valuable exhibition that has come to New Zealand."

Bennington and a long-time family friend, Marcella Jackson, 54, disappeared while "tramping" (hiking)in the Tararua Range on the North Island of New Zealand on 11 July 2009. Authorities were alerted after they failed to return from a weekend of tramping.

They had planned to hike from Otaki Forks to Kime Hut within the Tararua Range, but were caught in a sudden winter southerly storm on Saturday, 11 July, on an exposed section of the Tararuas. Their bodies were recovered on 15 July 2009, four days after they went missing. Both had died from hypothermia. Bennington was 61 years old.

A memorial service and funeral for Bennington was held at the Te Papa museum in Wellington. His body was taken to Te Papa's marae on 21 July 2009. Bennington's family members carried his coffin to the entrance of the marae,where it was given to Te Papa staff members who carried it up the stairs accompanied by Māori instrumental music and conch shells. His casket was then returned to his family at the top of the stairs, to be carried onto the marae. Bennington's coffin was greeted by Te Papa's staff with a haka, and was then placed on a stage in the center of the marae and covered with three kahu kiwi (kiwi feather coats) as a sign of respect. One of the kiwi cloaks had been used for the tangi, or funeral, of the former prime minister, Richard Seddon, in 1906. The cloak was significant not only because Bennington was named after the Prime Minister, but also because Bennington had personally accepted the cloak from the Seddon family as a donation to Te Papa. The second cloak was originally from Tuhoe, where Bennington spent time during his younger years. The third kiwi cloak used to cover Bennington's coffin had been used previously to repatriate the remains of New Zealanders who died abroad back to their homeland. Bennington's funeral was held on 22 July 2009, at the marae at Te Papa in Wellington.

Bennington left the Carnegie Science Museum in late 2002 to become director the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Bennington became the director of the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh in 1994. He is credited with reviving the science centre and making the institution financially stable.

Bennington joined the Carnegie Science Center at the height of the museum's financial and attendance problems. The museum, which opened a new building in Pittsburgh's North Side in 1991, was suffering from budget deficits and a wavering mission since its opening three years before his arrival. He quickly moved to establish a new vision and mission for the Carnegie Science Center. Much of his strategy centred on the establishment and maintenance of institutional relationships between the Science Center and other cultural, scientific and business organisations. He introduced travelling exhibits to the museum, especially through the former UPMC SportsWorks complex.

Bennington joined the Volunteer Service Abroad in Western Samoa in 1966. He then returned to New Zealand to study across the arts and sciences, and during this time also worked as a teacher.

Seddon Leonard Bennington (8 October 1947 – c. 11 July 2009) was a New Zealand museum executive. Bennington was the chief executive of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum of New Zealand, from January 2003 until his death in 2009, and had also been the director of the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1994 until 2002.