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Sarah Ell

Sarah Ell was born and raised on Auckland's North Shore in a conservation-minded family, and has always had a close relationship with nature and the outdoors. Sarah trained as a newspaper journalist before working in magazines and book publishing, and has a Bachelor of Arts in New Zealand history from Massey University and a Master of Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. She is the author of 10 books, several of them for young people, including Sirocco, the Rock Star Kakapo (2012). She still lives on the North Shore with her husband, yacht designer Rob Shaw, and their two children.

The Spirit of a Place MCW Books

The Spirit of a Place

Sarah Ell's latest book, The Spirit of a Place: A New History of The Elms Te Papa Tauranga, is a portrait of one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most important heritage sites, bearing witness to more than six hundred years of significant and at times turbulent history. She traces this legacy that…
Sarah Ell
July 16, 2025
Lost Wonders MCW Books

Lost Wonders

The story of the lost wonders of New Zealand's natural history: the extinct species that are now gone forever. Lost Wonders also features some key species that are on the brink - critically endangered - and the efforts that are being made to save them for future generations. Story by…
Sarah Ell
May 8, 2024