Mike King (advocate)

rdf:langString Mike King (advocate)

rdf:langString Mike King

rdf:langString Mike King

rdf:langString New Zealander of the Year

rdf:langString Michael King

rdf:langString King wearing the insignia of an ONZM in 2019, an award that he returned in 2021

rdf:langString New Zealand

rdf:langString Advocate, television personality

rdf:langString Key To Life Charitable Trust

rdf:langString Joanna King

rdf:langString Michael King (born 12 April 1962) is a New Zealand mental health advocate, television personality, and former comedian. He is known in New Zealand as the spokesperson who marketed New Zealand pork, presenting 30-second TV commercials on cooking pork known as Mike's Meals until he disengaged from the pork industry. King's television career began in 1997 with his debut in the New Zealand comedy show Pulp Comedy. Before television, King worked as a stand-up comedian. He was voted comedian of the year in 1997 by Metro magazine readers and nominated for the Billy T Award in the same year. After his television debut, King began to appear on more prominent New Zealand television comedy shows, notably Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves and Strassman. In 2002 he was nominated twice at the 2002 NZ Television Awards for his stand up show An Audience With the King. He went on to host Mike King Tonight from 2003. The show aired for only one season. He is well known for his work on mental health advocacy, which began in 2009 with his radio show, The Nutters Club. It was broadcast on New Zealand's Radio Live and then Newstalk ZB. He founded The Key to Life Charitable Trust, in 2012 which promotes suicide prevention and suicide awareness. King was named New Zealander of the Year in 2019 for his mental health advocacy work. He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2019 and he returned the honour in 2021 as a protest over the lack of progress in the mental health system.

rdf:langString Michael King