Philip Recordon is one of Saint Kentigern’s Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award recipients

Philip Recordon is one of Saint Kentigern’s Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award recipients

It is our privilege to recognise Philip Recordon as one of four inaugural recipients of the Saint Kentigern Distinguished Alumni Awards. The award recognises our alumni who have achieved excellence in their professional lives and lived the values of Saint Kentigern in their pursuits, whilst simultaneously showcasing great leadership, and are role models for our students.

Philip Recordon was appointed to the District Court Bench in 2003. Prior to that he practised in Auckland and particularly South Auckland over a 30-year period. While much of his lawyer work was in the Family Court jurisdiction, he has recently worked mainly in the areas of criminal law with a concentration on youth. He is privileged as a Pakeha/Palagi (on the Marae with Kaumatua and with Pasifika elders) to sit in the Rangatahi and Pasifika Youth Courts.

He has also been active in a wide variety of community-based organisations, including the Auckland Council for Civil Liberties, New Zealand Lawyers for Nuclear Disarmament (Founder and First President), Lifeline, Richmond Fellowship, The Right Track and Māori and Pacific Wardens providing assistance to disadvantaged or minority groups.

He was one of the lawyers who, in 1985 brought a case against the New Zealand Rugby Union to stop the All Blacks tour of South Africa. He prevented the All Blacks from travelling and the New Zealand Rugby Union to admit defeat and cancel the tour.

Philip continues to serve as trustee on several mental health and Māori health trusts. These organisations include Wings Trust, Eduk8 Charitable Trust (Chairman), Safe Man Safe Family Charitable Trust, Te Papapa School, Tufuga Creative Arts (Mental Health) Trust, Otara Māori Wardens, and Tāmaki Mataurau Pacific Wardens Trust.

About the Distinguished Alumni Awards

The inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award was celebrated last weekend at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. At the ceremony, we recognised the achievements of four esteemed winners:

• John Beckett (Saint Kentigern College, 1958-1962)
• Philip Recordon (Saint Kentigern Boys’ School, 1959-1960 and Saint Kentigern College, 1961-1965)
• Sir Noel Robinson (Saint Kentigern College, 1958-1961)
• Dr Ernest Willoughby (Saint Kentigern College, 1959-1963)

The Distinguished Alumni Awards will be celebrated every two years to recognise Saint Kentigern alumni for a series of achievements of note in the fields of business, social, cultural, sporting or environmental well-being of the community, and for an illustrious career of exceptional national or international accomplishment.

Recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award received a specially commissioned handcrafted commemorative award designed and created by local artist and Saint Kentigern Boys’ School teacher Tom Barter. The handcrafted award is distinctly Saint Kentigern with the design inspired by our Scottish heritage.