He had intended retiring in 1890 but at the request of the government conducted the 1891 census. Hayter wrote several works including Notes of a Tour in New Zealand, Notes on the Colony of Victoria, a short history and a geography of Victoria for use in Victorian State schools, and of a Handbook to the Colony of Victoria, as well as a Nosological Index used throughout Australasia for classifying the causes of death. He wrote many papers which were read before scientific societies in various parts of the world and also produced some poetical works.
He had intended to stop working in 1890 but was persuaded by the government to carry out the 1891 census instead. Hayter wrote several academic works, including Notes of a journey to New Zealand, educational resources for Victoria, a brief account of the colony's history and geography, and a guidebook to Victoria, as well as an index used in Australasia to classify causes of death. He presented his findings at scientific conferences worldwide and composed literary pieces.