Lee Dixon was born in Tauranga and schooled in Wellington and Wanganui. He has also lived in New Plymouth and worked as a journalist, photographer, and editor for the Wanganui Chronicle, one of New Zealand's leading regional newspapers. Lee has worked mostly within the building trades since 1976 as a self-employed contractor, and as a truck driver based in the Texas Panhandle. Retraining as a freelance journalist in the 1990s, he spent several years in the media industry before returning to trade work in 2001. A keen motorcycle enthusiast, he enjoys experimenting with various art forms and has a lifelong love of music and dancing. Lee has five adult children, ten grandchildren, and lives in Nelson, New Zealand, with his wife Maxine.