From the 1840s until 1870, thousands of British soldiers lived and served here. They built roads, patrolled garrison towns and fought in wars. Their presence – and the violence it often entailed – was central to the transformation of a Māori world into a settler colony.

In this illuminating lecture, distinguished Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlisted historian Charlotte Macdonald draws on a lifetime of scholarship, rich archival data and personal accounts to explore the lives of men (and some women) stationed here and examines the structures, experiences and lasting legacy of military occupation on the country.

Looking beyond our shores, Macdonald also demonstrates how events in Aotearoa were linked to rebellion in India and uprising in Jamaica, as imperial power was tested and asserted across the 19th century.