At the sentencing, members of the King and Angus families wept and Bull, who was standing in the dock, reached for tissues as the victim impact statements were read out.
Mr King's widow Michelle King said she and her husband had been married for 31 years and had four children and a grandchild on the way when he died.
She said while she was personally devastated, the ripple effect had also flowed onto her children and the family would never recover from their loss.
"I feel sick that my children have to take this terrible grief through their lives and it hurts as a mum knowing I couldn't protect them from this," she told the court.
The family income had been reduced by more than 75 per cent because not only had they lost Mr King's income, but Mrs King had had to give up her job as a kitchen designer because it required passion and emotional energy she no longer had.
Their home and their daughter's home, which Mr King was renovating and repairing were unfinished. Mrs King's physical and emotional health had suffered because she could not sleep and was depressed.
"My lifestyle has totally changed. I miss my husband, my partner and my friend and I loved him dearly."
Richard Angus's statement said he could no longer work in his own business and because of that, it was losing money. The family had incurred significant expense while he was in hospital and their house had to be modified.
"My entire life has been completely destroyed," his statement said. "The accident has cost me a lot - my brother in law and best mate, my health, my life and our business, gone in a split second."
Bull's lawyer Murray McKechnie asked Judge James Weir for a community-based sentence, saying Bull was deeply remorseful and had participated in a restorative justice programme.
He said in all other respects Bull was an admirable citizen - serious-minded, hard-working and responsible.
Alcohol and drugs were not involved, there had been no bad driving leading up to the accident and he had a clean driving record.
"He accepts without hesitation that it's entirely his responsibility to be on the right side of the road and doesn't seek to place blame on anyone else."
Bull had told police he had believed the Suzuki was on his side of the road when he came around the bend and so drove towards the gap on the other side of the road.
Judge Weir expressed his sympathies to the King and Angus families and said it was clear the financial and emotional costs had been devastating.
He said his conclusion was that a prison sentence would be "entirely inappropriate", and therefore a community-based sentence was best.
Bull's sentence could not be formally handed down yesterday because the judge is awaiting an updated probation report, but it is due to be confirmed in the Rotorua District Court on October 24.
