Obituary for KING, Peter: 4 June 1961 – 6 November 2023 (aged 62)

The Automobile Association tragically lost staff member Peter King in early November when he died suddenly at work during his routine lunchtime exercise regime.

Peter was well-known in the transport research sector, with connections made through his own research and via projects funded by the AA Research Foundation.

During his 22 years with the Association’s advocacy team based in Wellington, Peter had been the driving force behind the AA’s extensive Member surveying. He tracked changes in Members’ views on issues like transport costs, emissions and alternatives to driving, traffic enforcement and road safety concerns like speed limits and cellphone use.

Peter read widely and brought an insightful, interdisciplinary perspective to his work, influenced by his close observation of public opinion through his surveying. He published numerous think-pieces and policy documents, respected both within and outside the AA. He completed a BA in Applied Statistics later in life and kept up with ever-changing technology developments, including recently teaching himself the programming software ‘R’.

He was also a talented writer. He started his career as a journalist covering business, IT, science and technology, first as a senior reporter for the National Business Review, then with The Dominion helping to produce the weekly Infotech section. Prior to joining the AA he was Managing Editor at the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ for nine years. While with the AA, his writing on transport was shared with the public in many engaging feature articles published in AA Directions magazine.

Outside his work he was a prolific social commentator with hundreds of LinkedIn followers. He also co-hosted a show on Access Radio on political and social issues for several years from 2015.

In his spare time he wrote several novels, including his ‘Changels’ series for young adults, published on Amazon. His creative talents extended to painting too, with some of his paintings selling at a recent public exhibition.

Peter was quietly, but fiercely competitive, and revelled in outdoor exercise. He had a close-knit group of friends who shared his passion for running, mountain biking, and general ‘boot-camp’ madness.

Peter was dearly loved by his wife Jenny of 22 years and sons Lars, Torsten, Joshua, and Oliver. He was the beloved son of Dell and John (dec), brother and brother-in-law of Bashan and Sera.

He passed away on Monday 6 November and his funeral was held on 13 November in Lower Hutt, attended by his family and his wide network of friends, AA colleagues and former colleagues.

He was remembered by all as an engaging, clever and caring friend and father, someone with a brain the size of a planet, who was always seeking new knowledge, full of interesting conversation and ideas, and with a youthful spirit.

For more information contact:

Simon Douglas
AA Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer
021 607 647
sdouglas@aa.co.nz