Speaker biographies
Justice David Baragwanath
Justice Baragwanath is a Judge of the High Court
of New Zealand, sitting in that Court and in
divisional Courts of Appeal. Educated at the
University of Auckland and as a Rhodes Scholar at
Balliol College Oxford he became a partner of the
Crown Solicitor in Auckland where he appeared in
many criminal cases.
At the New Zealand bar, where he took silk in
1977, his practice included public law and
commercial litigation. He was leading counsel
assisting the Erebus Royal Commission of Inquiry
and led for the Crown in the criminal proceedings
following the collapse of the Equiticorp group of
companies.
Following appointment to the Bench in 1995 he
chaired the New Zealand Law Commission from
1996-2001 during which period it issued the
appended reports.
In 1983 he received a Fullbright Travel Award to
the University of Virginia to study Freedom of
Information. In 2004 he was the Inns of Court
Fellow in London, researching and lecturing on
Cross-Border Judicial Co-operation including
cross-border insolvency. A resulting paper Who
now is my neighbour? Has been published in the
Inner Temple Yearbook 2004-5.
He chairs the New Zealand Rules Committee and
initiated the work of its subcommittee on
criminal rules. He sits regularly in serious
criminal trials in the High Court and as a member
of the Criminal Appeals Division of the Court of
Appeal.
He has been named by the University of Auckland
as a recipient of a 2006 Distinguished Alumni
Award.
Judge R J Johnson
Chief District Court Judge
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Educated Kaitaia Primary School and Inglewood
High School Taranaki
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Graduated Auckland University LLB Dip Crim
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Admitted to the Bar 1969
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Crown Counsel, Hong Kong 1974 to 1977
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Former Vice President Criminal Bar Association
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Former Member of the Council of the Auckland
District Law Society
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Appointed to the Bench January 1993
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Appointed Chief District Court Judge February
2005
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Officer RNZNVR 1969 to 1972, retiring as
Commander RNZNVR
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Appointed Supreme Court, Pitcairn, Henderson,
Ducie and Oeno Islands 2001
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Married with two daughters and four
grandchildren
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Sixth generation New Zealand
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Amateur yachtsman
Judge Andrew Becroft
Judge Andrew Becroft was appointed Principal
Youth Court Judge for New Zealand in 2001.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Judge Becroft
graduated from Auckland University in 1981 with a
B.A./LL.B (Hons) degree. He practiced in Auckland
and then in 1986, after assisting with the
establishment of the Mangere Community Law
Centre, he was employed there as a senior
solicitor until 1993. For this work he was
awarded the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in
1990 for services to the community.
Between 1993-1996 Andrew worked as a barrister
sole in the South Auckland Chambers, specialising
in traffic and criminal litigation. He then
worked as a criminal barrister in South Auckland
until his appointment to the District Court in
Wanganui in 1996.
Judge Becroft is a former council member of the
Auckland District Law Society and the New Zealand
Law Society. He is a current editor of LexisNexis
"Transport Law".
Judge Becroft is currently the Patron of the New
Zealand Speak Easy Association Inc., which
assists those with various forms of speech
impediment. He is also President of the NZ
Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship.
He is married with three children, aged ten,
eight and four. Judge Becroft is a keen sports
watcher (but an average participant). He is a
strong advocate of youth issues.
Judge Heemi Taumaunu
- Ngati Porou and Ngai Tahu descent
- Lawyer in Gisborne for 10 years, mainly involved in criminal work and was a youth advocate and a counsel for child
- Sworn in to the District Court Bench in January 2004.
- Initially appointed to Whangarei District Court.
- Now a resident Judge of the Waitemata District Court
- Holds General, Jury Trial and Youth Court warrants.
- Currently the liaison judge for the Waitakere Youth Court.
Judge Gregory Hikaka
Mr Hikaka has practiced as a barrister sole since
1998 His work has principally been a mixture of
family law and Youth Court work.
Before setting up in practice as a barrister he
spent about two and a half years working in firms where he
undertook a wider range of litigation, including
criminal, civil and employment work.
He has been actively involved in working with
at-risk youth and is an advisor to the Youth
Horizons Trust. He is currently a board member of
Relationship Services Whakawhanaungatanga and a
member of the Maori Consultative Group to the
Executive of the Family Law Section, New Zealand
Law Society.
He was a Police Officer from 1982 to 1992 with
postings to National Headquarters as a youth and
community services officer and as a legal advisor
at the time of the lead up to the Children Young
Persons and Their Families Act.
Terry Huriwai
Terry Huriwai is of Te Arawa and Ngati Porou
descent.
He is a Probation Officer by trade, but
specialised in working with offenders with
addiction related problems.
He has worked in the addiction treatment sector
as a counsellor and supervisor and managed Te
Rito Arahi Maori Alcohol and Drug Resource Centre
(a dedicated Maori non-residential alcohol and
drug service) for a time during the mid-nineties.
As a researcher/lecturer at the National Centre
for Treatment Development (Alcohol, Drugs &
Addictions) his research interests and
publications related mainly to advancing
responsive interventions for Maori.
For the past four years he has worked in the
mental health directorate of the Ministry of
Health with a particular brief relating to
treatment of addiction related problems
(including coexisting mental health problems).
He is involved in the Interagency Committee on
Drugs (IACD) as well as the Australasian
Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD) as
well as a number of sector working parties and
committees.
Dale Karauria
Dale Karauria is Policy Director, Te Puni Kokiri
and is of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu
descent.
At Te Puni Kokiri she leads the development and
evolution of the strategic agenda for Te Puni
Kokiri to achieve its strategic outcome of 'Maori
succeeding as Maori', provides technical
leadership to build a strong policy function, and
ensures Maori frameworks inform policy
development in the state sector.
Career highlights:
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Contributing to effective Crown, iwi and Maori
strategic partnerships in pursuit of improved
education outcomes (2003-2005);
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Contributing to the design and establishment
of the Tertiary Education Commission and
operationalisation of new sector steering
instruments to effect the tertiary education
reforms (2002);
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Developing and delivering training on
Government's policy process, Treaty and Maori
analysis, the machinery of government, and
effective consultation and advocacy (2001);
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Coordinating Te Puni Kokiri's policy
contribution to the Government's response to
the Employment Taskforce proposals (1998).
