Christopher Puglsey is a freelance historian and lives in Wellington. He served as a professional soldier in the New Zealand Army, retiring as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1988 to pursue his interest as a historian. This book was originally published in 1998 to great critical acclaim. His other books include Te Hokowhitu a Tu (1995), a history of the Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War, and Scars on the Heart (1996) a military history of New Zealand.