[2] His Glasgow-born father was an advertising executive who had left New Zealand to serve as a naval officer in World War II and had risen to the rank of lieutenant-commander.

As a biographer, King published works on Te Puea Herangi, Whina Cooper, Frank Sargeson (1995) and Janet Frame (2000).

As a historian, King's works include Being Pākehā (1985), Moriori (1989), and The Penguin History of New Zealand (July 2003), the latter of which was, by February 2004, into its seventh edition.

King was always sensitive to the fact that he was a Pākehā writing about the Māori world and always sought to establish close personal relationships with those he wrote about and their whānau, hapū and iwi authorities.

[13] King and his second wife, Maria Jungowska, were killed when their car crashed into a tree and caught fire near Maramarua, on State Highway 2 in north Waikato.

[18] Past fellows are: Owen Marshall, Vincent O’Sullivan, CK Stead, Rachel Barrowman, Neville Peat, Fiona Kidman, Philip Simpson and in 2023 Danny Keenan.

Based at the historic Signalman's House in Devonport, Auckland, the centre offers writing residencies for early career and experienced writers.