New Zealand's most successful Commonwealth Games has been capped by the country's most successful athlete.

Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy have triumphed in straight games over England's Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters, winning New Zealand's 20th gold medal in Birmingham.

That number eclipsed the previous record of 17, set 32 years ago in Auckland, while the final total of 49 medals surpassed every previous edition of the event held overseas.

King's victory is also historic on an individual level, seeing her become only the second Kiwi after athletics great Valerie Young to win five Commonwealth Games gold medals.

"We don't play for stats like that, but to hear my name in the calibre of people like that is pretty cool," King said. "It's motivating me to come back next time and try to get some more. I just come out here and play my heart out every time I play for my country."

The success came after the eight-time medallist teamed with Paul Coll to pick up her fourth gold in the mixed doubles final only 16 hours earlier at the University of Birmingham.

And it ensured King's Games ended on a couple of golden moments after going "mentally walkabouts" before being beaten by Perry in the singles bronze medal match earlier in the tournament.

"Every medal I've won had some sort of story to it," she said. "These two have quite a story after last week. I've been through a lot to be here - people have no idea."

It was also an appropriate way for New Zealand's involvement in the Games to come to a close, given King kicked off the event 11 days ago when, along with Tom Walsh, she led out the Kiwi team at the opening ceremony.

"It's kind of fitting," she said. "We've made no secret that I was disappointed not to get a medal in the individuals, but it's how you come back from defeat. I had 24 hours to wallow in self-pity, and these guys were the ones who were getting me back on track."

King and Landers-Murphy joined Walsh and mountain bike champion Sam Gaze in defending the crown they won on the Gold Coast, with theirs the most unlikely of the trio.

Landers-Murphy had retired from squash in 2019 and set aside her racket for a year until King persuaded her to come out of retirement.

It proved a wise decision. King and Landers-Murphy waltzed through the doubles tournament without dropping a game, and while they were given their toughest test in the final by an experienced English duo, they fought for an 11-8 11-8 victory to wrap up the Games in style.

King paid tribute to her partner before they received the last medals awarded to Kiwis in Birmingham, pointing out that, unlike herself, Landers-Murphy had work and study commitments back home.

The 31-year-old admitted to initially holding doubts about returning to squash, especially after the "shock to the system" that was her first time back on court. But this result ensured there would be no regrets about the decision.

"I think it's even more satisfying than the first time around," Landers-Murphy said. "There's so much more going on in my life now, and it was a really hard road to get here, but I had Joey there the whole time so it was all worth it."

That feeling will only enhance in the coming days, when the pair celebrate with a holiday together.

"We're gonna be sitting on a beach in Portugal tomorrow," King said. "I think we've earned every bit of that."

New Zealand medallists

Gold - Ellesse Andrews, Olivia King, Rebecca Petch - Track Cycling - Women's Team Sprint
Gold - Aaron Gate, Jordan Kerby, Tom Sexton, Campbell Stewart - Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Team Pursuit
Gold - Ellesse Andrews - Track Cycling - Women's Sprint
Gold - Aaron Gate - Track Cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit
Gold - Bryony Botha - Track Cycling - Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit
Gold - Lewis Clareburt - Swimming - Men's 400 Individual Medley
Gold - Dame Sophie Pascoe - Swimming - Women's 100m Freestyle S9
Gold - Corbin Strong - Track Cycling - Men's 15km Scratch Race
Gold - Lewis Clareburt - Swimming – Men's 200m Butterfly
Gold - Joshua Willmer - Swimming - Men's 100m Breaststroke SB8
Gold - Andrew Jeffcoat - Swimming - Men's 50m Backstroke
Gold - Ellesse Andrews - Track Cycling - Women's Keirin finals
Gold – Aaron Gate - Track Cycling – Men's points race
Gold - Sam Gaze - Men's cross country mountain bike
Gold - Hamish Kerr - Men's high jump
Gold - Paul Coll - Men's squash
Gold - Tom Walsh - Men's shot put
Gold - Aaron Gate - Road Cycling - Men's road race
Gold - Paul Coll/Joelle King - Squash - Mixed doubles
Gold - Joelle King/Amanda Landers-Murphy - Squash - Women's doubles
Silver - Michaela Drummond – Track Cycling - Women's 10km Scratch Race
Silver – Campbell Stewart - Track Cycling – Men's points race
Silver - Bryony Botha, Michaela Drummond, Emily Shearman, Ellesse Andrews - Track cycling - Women's team pursuit
Silver - Tom Sexton - Track cycling - Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit
Silver - Jesse Reynolds - Swimming - Men's 100m Backstroke S9
Silver - Tupou Neiufi - Swimming - Women's 100m Backstroke S8
Silver - Hayden Wilde - Men's triathlon
Silver - Ben Oliver - Men's cross country mountain bike
Silver - Kody Andrews - Judo men's 100kg+
Silver - David Liti - Weightlifting 109kg+
Silver - Jacko Gill - Men's shot put
Silver - Julia Ratcliffe - Women's hammer throw
Bronze - Sam Dakin, Bradley Knipe, Sam Webster - Track Cycling - Men's Team Sprint
Bronze - Cameron Gray - Swimming - Men's 50m Butterfly
Bronze - Black Ferns Sevens
Bronze – All Blacks Sevens
Bronze - Val Smith, Tayla Bruce, Nicole Toomey and Selina Goddard - Lawn bowls - Women's Four
Bronze - Imogen Ayris - Women's pole vault
Bronze - Moira de Villiers – Judo women's -78kg
Bronze - Sydnee Andrews – Judo women's +78kg
Bronze - Lewis Clareburt - Swimming - Men's 200IM
Bronze - Maddi Wesche - Women's shot put
Bronze - Georgia Williams - Women's time trial
Bronze - Val Smith, Tayla Bruce and Nicole Toomey - Lawn Bowls - Women's triples
Bronze - Tayla Ford - Wrestling – Women's 68kg
Bronze - Selina Goddard and Katelyn Inch - Lawn Bowls - Women's pairs
Bronze - Uila Mau'u - Boxing Men's over 92kg
Bronze - White Ferns
Bronze - Silver Ferns