Giant Kauri Tragically Felled

NZ mourns the loss of its preeminent cultural historian, Michael King. The author of 34 books – including the groundbreaking autobiographical work Being Pakeha and acclaimed biographies of Dame Whina Cooper, Hone Tuwhare, and Janet Frame – King was honoured last year as a “giant kauri” of NZ literature at the inaugural Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement, and named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald. His Penguin History of New Zealand has sold a staggering 70,000 copies since its publication last October, highlighting the great esteem in which he is held by everyday New Zealanders as a chronicler of their times. King was killed instantly in a car crash on March 30 – along with his wife Maria Jungowska – just weeks after announcing his full recovery from throat cancer.

Michael King: 15 December 1945 – 30 March 2004