“And most New Zealanders, whatever their cultural backgrounds, are good-hearted, practical, commonsensical and tolerant. Those qualities are part of the national culture capital that has in the past saved the country from the worst excesses of chauvinism and racism seen in other parts of the world. They are as sound a basis as any for optimism about the country's future.”

History Man takes a journey through the life and work of New Zealand's most popular historian, Michael King.

With a career that spanned more than three decades and books that strengthened a nation with its history, at the time of his death Michael King was one of New Zealand's most beloved writers.

King's ability to cross cultural boundaries and delve deep into sometimes controversial areas greatly enriched New Zealand's recorded history. His tragic death early in 2004 was an enormous loss to this country.

His insatiable curiosity fed New Zealand an extraordinary run of books, culminating in his last, The Penguin History of New Zealand, which was a publishing sensation.

History Man, a feature length documentary, follows in the steps of Michael King on a journey through his own past – to childhood places where the sense of New Zealand and his own New Zealand-ness first struck him, the places his work steered him, and some of the characters he met along the way.

History Man was written and produced by Colin Hogg, directed by John Carlaw, for Greenstone Pictures.