Born in Auckland in 1952 and of mixed European, Tongan, and Rotuman descent, Eggleton spent part his formative years in both Fiji and Auckland, dropping out of school to take up performance music and poetry. Eggleton later moved to Dunedin, where he has been based since the 1980s.
He has been the editor of New Zealand literary magazine Landfall since 2010.
In 2016, Eggleton was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in poetry.