“I’m an unashamed Petone-ite,” says Sarah, who graced our screens for six years as Good Morning host before the show moved to Auckland in 2012.
Now working part-time as a reporter for TVNZ, Sarah knows where to go when she needs public reaction to a topical issue.
“Jackson St and the artesian tap on Buick St are always good spots – lots of people congregate there. I automatically turn to Petone for vox pops because the people match the suburb – quirky, interesting and cool!”
Sarah spent part of her childhood in Lowry Bay, before moving to Auckland. When she landed a job at IBM in Petone in 1988, the town was only just starting to go through its transformation.
“Apart from the waterfront, there wasn’t a lot else going for it,” she remembers.
Fast-forward to 2006, the new Good Morning presenter couldn’t believe her eyes when house-hunting saw her drive through Petone.“What a change! Cafes, bars, interesting shops, fashion – it was all here on Jackson St.”
A child, house, mortgage and job loss later, Sarah is still a firm Petone fan.
“When Good Morning moved away from Avalon, I could have upped sticks and moved, but I chose to stay here. Petone has everything my eight-year-old daughter Melinda and I love – the sea, McKenzie Pool, Lighthouse Cinema, the shops – how could I leave?”
She even loves the train trip into Wellington for her new job at the Swiss Embassy, managing events to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations with New Zealand. She supplements this new venture with occasional shifts at One News, producing vintage racing shows for Gillette Motorsport Sunday, and as the new editor of travel magazine NZToday.
Sarah’s various jobs appeal to her many interests, including vintage cars, skiing, writing, international relations and speaking French.
“I’m lucky to have it all, and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be”.