Judge brings down his final gavel
more than three-quarters of New Zealand’s Queen’s Counsel have come from Auckland and Wellington. He took on both high-profile and legally-complex cases while a lawyer. He successfully defended Garth Timokina Thompson, who was alleged to have been a party to the murder of Foxton doctor Howard Teppett in 1993.
Atkins also represented Donald Hatcher, who is believed to be the first New Zealander to be charged with murdering someone by causing a car crash.
The charge was later downgraded to manslaughter, after the judge rejected the notion Hatcher deliberately crashed into his wife’s car in 1985.
Atkins also represented a District Court judge, Judge Ross Elliott, who was charged with indecency offences. Elliott was acquitted on some charges, but two juries were unable to agree on other charges which were eventually stayed by the solicitor-general. Atkins was made a District Court judge in 1998, being posted to Palmerston North.
That was unique, as judges usually do not serve where they practised as a lawyer.
A good example of this was his partner at Behrens & Atkins, Michael Behrens QC, being sent to Wellington upon becoming a District Court judge. A move to Dunedin about two years before becoming a judge, and officials keenly referring to Atkins as a ‘‘ Dunedin lawyer’’ on his appointment, makes sense in that light. He also spent some time presiding over the Feilding District Court, and lamented its demise when it was merged into Palmerston North in 2013 because of earthquake strengthening issues.