Marian Maguire is well-known for her adroit deployment of the conventions of Greek vase paintings and the illustrations and photographs of voyagers and settlers to portray an invented history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Her unique retellings draw parallels with Greek myths and legends, whether for the voyagers of Captain Cook, the tribulations of early settlers in the guise of Herakles, or the stalwart defence of indigenous land rights by the Māori general Tītokowaru. All of them deal with colonialism from different points of view, which led her to ponder on what caused European expansionism, what shaped imperial ambitions - and what principles underlay the actions of those who occupied new lands?