| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Harry Ell | |
| Office: | Christchurch City councillor |
| Term Start: | 1903 |
| Term End: | 1903 |
| Term Start2: | 1917 |
| Term End2: | 1919 |
| Constituency Mp3: | City of Christchurch electorate |
| Term Start3: | 1899 |
| Term End3: | 1905 |
| Predecessor3: | George John Smith |
| Successor3: | electorate discontinued |
| Constituency Mp4: | Christchurch South |
| Term Start4: | 1905 |
| Term End4: | 1919 |
| Predecessor4: | new electorate |
| Successor4: | Ted Howard |
| Birth Date: | 24 September 1862 |
| Birth Place: | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Birthname: | Henry George Ell |
| Party: | Independent Liberal |
| Otherparty: | New Liberal Party |
| Spouse: | Adelaide Eleanor Gee |
Henry George Ell (probably 24 September 1862 – 27 June 1934), commonly known as Harry Ell, was a Christchurch City councillor and a New Zealand Member of Parliament. He is famous for his conservation work around Christchurch's Port Hills, his advocacy for the Summit Road, and his construction of the Sign of the Takahe and other road houses along the Summit Road.
Ell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and grew up on his father's farm in Halswell.[1] As a teenager he worked at the Canterbury Museum, then as a farm hand. Between 1881 and 1884 he was a member of the Armed Constabulary in Taranaki, where he participated in the destruction of Parihaka. This experience turned him into a stern critic of the race-relations policies of the time.
Ell was a Christchurch City councillor in 1903 and then again between 1917 and 1919. He was a member of the Knights of Labour and the Canterbury Liberal Association. He married Adelaide Eleanor Gee in Christchurch on 10 January 1892,[2] and in 1912 named a hill above Governor's Bay Mount Ada after her.[3]
Ell stood as a prohibitionist for a seat in the City of Christchurch electorate in 1896. He was unsuccessful, coming fifth in the three-member electorate,[4] but was elected as an Independent Liberal in the 1899 general election. He held the seat, and the subsequent seat of Christchurch South as an Independent, until the 1919 general election. Ell stood for the Lyttelton electorate, which contained the Port Hills. He was defeated and did not win a seat in Parliament again.
Ell was associated with the New Liberal Party in 1905.
From 1910 until 1912 he was the Liberal Party's junior whip.
As a Member of the House of Representatives, Ell spoke against the relaxation of liquor laws, the jailing of alcoholics and against gambling. He also successfully pushed for reform of New Zealand's mental health laws. He served briefly as Postmaster General in the Cabinet of Thomas Mackenzie.
Ell is most remembered for his strong interest in recreation and conservation. From 1900 onwards, Ell pushed for the creation of a network of scenic reserves along Christchurch's Port Hills, linked by the Summit Road and with a network of rest-houses to allow travellers and walkers to refresh themselves. Three of these rest-houses, designed by architect Samuel Hurst Seager, were completed during Ell's lifetime: the Sign of the Bellbird, Sign of the Kiwi, and Sign of the Packhorse. The last, and grandest, the Sign of the Takahe, was not completed until long after Ell's death, in 1949. All four houses were built of local stone, and designed to blend in with the landscape. The Sign of the Kiwi and Sign of the Takahe still function as commercial rest stops serving refreshments while the Sign of the Bellbird survives only as a shelter, but is still a useful stopping place for a picnic and the starting point for some short walks. The Sign of the Packhorse is managed by the Department of Conservation and used as a hut by trampers.
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