Character Analysis
Alistair Lauderback is a London-born lawyer who came to New Zealand in 1851 to make his fortune. As he himself would be the first to tell you, he's a very big deal—rich, powerful, confident, and entitled.
Unlike the other men who come to New Zealand to make their fortunes and go home, Lauderback seems like a lifer. The narrator observes:
…by the time he first knocked upon Thomas Balfour's door, wearing a fresh kowkhai flower in his buttonhole and a standing collar whose flared points (Balfour noticed) had been starched by a woman's hand, he could no longer be called a pioneer. He smacked if permanence: of the kind of influence that lasts. (I.2.5)
He feels so permanently connected to the area, in fact, that he's decided to run for the Westland MP slot on Parliament.
He's Kind of A Jerk
Of course, with all that wealth, confidence, and influence, it's unsurprising that he is—and comes off as—a bit puffed up. When he and Walter Moody have their first meeting, for example, our "protagonist" is not really impressed:
Moody listened to him politely, but the impression he formed was an unfavorable one, and he had left the scene of their first acquaintance with no intention of repeating it. He saw that Lauderback was the kind of man who did not care to court the good opinion of any man whose connexions could not benefit his own. (II.4.28)
Naturally, we're pretty sure Lauderback's ego can weather Moody's disapproval …
What's Your Sign?
Lauderback is associated with the planet Jupiter, which, if you know your Roman mythology, is also the big kahuna of the Roman gods. Unsurprisingly, his "related influence" is command. You might be interested to know that Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and so it's extra clever that Catton puts Balfour (the character associated with Sagittarius) under Lauderback's thumb, at least initially.