Pressure had been mounting on King following revelations earlier this month player power was behind a move to oust him from his role.
King (34) declined to be interviewed when contacted for comment, but in a brief statement said his resignation ‘‘was in the best interests of both Otago Cricket and his family''.
‘‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenging but also rewarding aspects of coaching the Otago Volts,'' he said.
‘‘I would like to thank Otago Cricket for the opportunity and wish them, along with all the players, the very best for the future. Coaching is still something I remain very passionate about and would love to stay involved in some capacity in the future.''
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Mike Coggan was not prepared to discuss why King had opted to resign with a year to run on his contract, other than to say King had decided it was appropriate to step down from the role as the association worked through a thorough season review process.
‘‘It is very much an employment matter, so we can't really comment,'' Coggan said.
‘‘I certainly do understand just how difficult this decision has been for him.''
King started work at Otago Cricket as a community cricket co-ordinator about 11 years ago and rose through the ranks. He coached the Sparks for three seasons before he accepted a role as Volts assistant coach in 2012-13.
He was appointed head coach last year and was eager to make the most of his opportunity. He was also acutely aware his lack of a cricketing pedigree could be perceived as a weakness and he would have to win people over.
Ultimately, King was unable to win over the people who mattered the most - the players.
According to a source, the rookie coach had ‘‘clearly struggled'', but had also been let down by the association. The coaching support he was promised was not always available.
Coggan previously declined to comment on whether King had been provided enough support.
‘‘I have some views but it is really difficult to make comment on anything when we are currently going through the review. I really don't want to undermine the credibility of what we are trying to do here.''
The review process will be complete by next week but the findings will remain private.
Finding a replacement for King could prove a challenge. When Black Caps coach Mike Hesson vacated the role, the Otago Cricket Association was unhappy with the applicants and ended up recruiting Vaughn Johnson.
Dimitri Mascarenhas took over from Johnson but accepted a role with the Black Caps at the end of just one season. King was appointed as his replacement after several higher profile coaches, such as Paul Wiseman, ruled themselves out.
‘‘One of the things we will do is look to use a very robust appointment process. We will advertise externally and we will use the right people with the right skills on the appointment panel,'' Coggan said.
The board of Otago Cricket meets next Wednesday and finding a new coach will be high on the agenda.
‘‘With contracting being a month earlier than any previous year we would want to get that process under way as quickly as possible.''
Coggan was unable to say when King's last day will be.
‘‘We are working through what I would call a transition period and that is yet to be determined between Nathan and myself.''
