The Tizard political dynasty is headed by a woman many would consider a New Zealand matriarch, Dame Catherine Tizard, formerly mayor of Auckland and our first woman Governor General.

Feisty, irreverent, shrewd, fun-loving and resourceful, she built the Aotea Centre and lifted Government House out of its stiff and starchy past and into a more relevant present.

When she bungy-jumped off the SkyTower for charity the Queen sent her a telegram: 'Well jumped. Elizabeth R.'

The daughter of left-wing Scots immigrants and born in a tiny Waikato town, she personifies the New Zealand story: how talent and determination and a zeal to leave the world a better place than you found it can take you to the top.

This lively memoir captures her rich and remarkable life and is full of fascinating insights into some of the key social movements and political events and intrigues of our modern history.