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

• Educated Kaitaia Primary School and Inglewood High School Taranaki
• Graduated Auckland University LLB Dip Crim
• Admitted to the Bar 1969
• Crown Counsel, Hong Kong 1974 to 1977
• Former Vice President Criminal Bar Association
• Former Member of the Council of the Auckland District Law Society
• Appointed to the Bench January 1993
• Appointed Chief District Court Judge February 2005
• Officer RNZNVR 1969 to 1972, retiring as Commander RNZNVR
• Appointed Supreme Court, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands 2001
• Married with two daughters and four grandchildren
• Sixth generation New Zealand
• 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:

• Contributing to effective Crown, iwi and Maori strategic partnerships in pursuit of improved education outcomes (2003-2005);
• 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);
• Developing and delivering training on Government's policy process, Treaty and Maori analysis, the machinery of government, and effective consultation and advocacy (2001);
• Coordinating Te Puni Kokiri's policy contribution to the Government's response to the Employment Taskforce proposals (1998).