Whitelaw was born in Sydney, Australia and completed a degree in Geography and Anthropology at Sydney University. However, she abandoned a Master’s thesis in Coastal Geomorphology in 1980 to work as a photojournalist and run dive charter yachts in the Republic of Vanuatu.
She later founded The Adventure Centre, an adventure tourism company, and wrote the Vanuatu government"s online encyclopedia. She obtained an Master of Arts from Queensland University of Technology in 2008 and Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Management in 2012 from Open Polytechnic New Zealand. Whitelaw is professional photographer and freelance photojournalist as well as author
Her work has appeared in several international magazines including National Geographic.
The subject of climate change is central to much of her writing. She currently lives in the Canterbury foothills west of Christchurch New Zealand working as a Biodiversity Advisor for the Hurunui District Council.
