In Good Faith centres on the journey of four families who migrated to New Zealand between 1840 and 1872.

Sailing ships ploughed the seas between Europe and the Southern oceans during these years, bringing new people and merchandise to Australia and New Zealand. The bravery of these passengers in undertaking the long voyage and arduous conditions in steerage should be acknowledged.

On arrival, they were expected to adapt and thrive in a country far removed in distance and development from their respective homelands and diverse cultures. They also became heavily dependent on the vagaries of an emergent government and vulnerable to the wind of parliamentary change.

In tracing the journey of her own ancestors, Marie Read hopes to convey the characteristics and personal attributes of these brave pioneers by recounting actual events in settings and situations which are, on occasion, fictitious.