His Honour Judge Andrew Becroft was appointed a District Court Judge in 1996. In 2001, he became the Principal Youth Court Judge of New Zealand; a role that he held until 2016 when he was appointed the Children’s Commissioner. Judge Becroft was the 2018 winner of the Public Service Category at the Wellingtonian of the Year awards for helping vulnerable young people as Children’s Commissioner.
He is married with three children. Judge Becroft is a keen sports watcher, but he confesses, only an average (but enthusiastic) participant. He is strongly committed to a specialist approach to dealing with youth offenders and is an advocate for youth issues.