Judge Andrew Becroft on a visit to Putiki Marae, along with his team and members of their families in 2017.
Photo / NZME
Judge Andrew Becroft on a visit to Putiki Marae, along with his team and members of their families in 2017.
Photo / NZME
On his final day as Children's Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft took time to talk about his early days on the bench in Whanganui.
Judge Becroft, who finished his term as Children's Commissioner on Sunday, October 31, was the sole district court judge in Whanganui from 1996 to 2001 and creditsthat experience as a formative influence on him.
"I came to Whanganui as a new, young judge with a huge sense of responsibility," he said.
"It was the aftermath of Moutoa [Te Rūnanga Pākaitore occupation of Moutoa Gardens in 1995] and the community was changing."
Judge Becroft said he would always be grateful to the Whanganui community for embracing him because at times he felt that he was living "a judicial life in a goldfish bowl".
"I suspected that I would be likely to encounter people who stood before me in court while out in the community and I did.
"One day at McDonald's with my family, I met a man who had been in court and he said 'You almost sent me to prison and that led to me getting the help I needed'."
The man had been in court for domestic violence charges and told Judge Becroft he had sought help and introduced the judge to his partner, telling him that things were much better for the couple since he'd been to court.
"That sort of thing happened time and time again," Judge Becroft said.
"Whanganui was small enough for that to happen yet big enough to form a unique group made up of police, social and non-government agencies to wrap around people and their families."
Judge Becroft, his wife Philippa, and their 1-year-old son Sam settled in well, and the couple's daughter Anna and younger son Isaac were born here.
"The children all went to St John's Hill Kindergarten and St John's Hill School," Judge Becroft said.
"We joined the Whanganui Tennis Club and I'm proud to say that we won the mixed doubles one year. Philippa has always been a great tennis player but that was my one great tennis moment and one of many great memories of living there."
The family left Whanganui when he was appointed Principal Judge of the Youth Court of New Zealand in 2001, and said it was hard to leave.
The Becroft children are now aged 26, 24 and 21. Sam and Anna are both lawyers like their parents.
"They chose law without any coercion on our part," Judge Becroft said.
"Philippa was the counsel who moved for their admissions to the bar and I was sitting on the bench in the High Court both times."
Youngest son Isaac has been living overseas after receiving a tennis scholarship and describes himself as an "ABL".
"That stands for Anything But Law," Judge Becroft said.
The family made a road trip to Whanganui in 2016 and their adult children were delighted to revisit their favourite childhood haunts.
"We visited Virginia Lake, Mowhanau Beach, Kowhai Park and we went to the court, where the staff who remembered them as small children gave them a warm welcome."
Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft sharing his dream for children and young people of Aotearoa at Youth Space in 2019.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Judge Becroft became Children's Commissioner in July 2016 and District Court Judge Frances Eivers has now been appointed to replace him in the role.
"It has been a genuine honour to serve as Children's Commissioner," Judge Becroft said.
"The achievements I am most proud of are that Youth Court jurisdiction now includes 17-year-olds and that child poverty is being addressed with a number of initiatives and three-year and 10-year targets have been set.
"I'm proud of the changes to Oranga Tamariki which have led to the recognition that practices designed by Māori for Māori lead to better care of our tamariki and rangatahi."
Judge Becroft said he would be a practising judge again but in the meantime an extended holiday beckoned.
"The Attorney-General has advised me I need to use or lose my long service leave so I'd better use it."
Another road trip to Whanganui might well be on the cards, he said.
