The story of James Edward FitzGerald, whose energy and enthusiasm contributed so much to the early history of Christchurch. Orator, writer, politician and journalist, he was the first Canterbury Pilgrim to set foot in New Zealand, first superintendent of the province of Canterbury, first leader of the general government, and founder of the Press newspaper. From his early years in the Anglo-Irish gentry of England to his old age as auditor-general of the colony, Fitz is a gripping biography that reads like a novel, breathing new life into the extraordinary man who played a major role in public life through fifty years of New Zealand history.

"this is not just an insight into one family but an invaluable look at the settler history of New Zealand. Roberts really has the measure of the intriguing Fitz, a man of many talents and faces; her warts and all biography also reveals how family truths can be separated from myth." - Karen Clare, Family Tree, January 2015

Jenifer Roberts is an English historian and direct descendant of FitzGerald. With access to sources previously inaccessible to researchers, she provides new information about one of our most outstanding colonists and his equally talented wife. Together, they personified the pioneer spirit of 19th-century New Zealand, a spirit re-invoked today as the people of Christchurch rebuild their city.