15 Apr 26 - Resident stories
Doing things my way
In 1960, a chance encounter with a customer gave stationer Henry Norcross an opportunity, which eventuated in benefiting a huge number of West Auckland residents and school children. “I had a year in a Christchurch seminary but decided it was not the life for me,” says Henry, a resident of Summerset at Monterey Park. “My dad owned a bookshop and asked me to come on board while I thought about my career. I agreed if I had could have shares in the business. He agreed.”
When a customer came in wanting six dozen reporters’ notebooks, by a fortunate coincidence the exact amount had arrived in the store earlier. Quick-thinking Henry offered her a large discount for buying in bulk. The transaction led to Henry forming his own company, Henry B. Norcross Ltd, becoming the largest provider of school stationery and textbooks in New Zealand for many years. “Later we moved into commercial stationery,” remembers Henry. “Our then printers were unreliable, so we decided to bring it in house. I didn’t have a clue about the idiosyncrasies of printing. I chose the Nebiolo and a Pavano guillotine because I liked their names.” This unorthodox method was not a success. “When they arrived the printer was so big we had to remove the front of the shop to get it in,” laughs Henry. “Also, it turned out it couldn’t print business cards!” Nonetheless, Henry’s bold moves paid off, and the business thrived, with 165 staff and branches throughout the North Island.
At the tender age of 20, Henry had met his future wife, Judy. “My beautiful future wife had come from Gisborne to Auckland for a tennis tournament. We got talking one afternoon in the kitchen of the Falls Hotel, which was behind my father’s shop.” As the pair lived many hours apart, letters and phone calls were frequent, but visits were few. “We only had four dates before we became engaged, and we got married on Judy’s 21st birthday in July 1961,” says Henry. “We will have been married 65 years in July.” The location of their first meeting – the Falls Hotel, a Georgian Category 2 historic building – had such a special place in their hearts that when it came up for sale in the late 1970s, they bought it.
The couple went on to have four children – Claire, Henry, Phillip and Paulette – and now have 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “Judy and my family have always been the greatest support. We work together and work together well,” says Henry. The family laugh about Henry’s determination to do things his way though, with Sinatra’s “My Way” sung to him at family gatherings.
Henry was invited to join the Henderson Rotary club, which became the start of his long journey of philanthropy. “To join then, in 1964, you had to be a self-employed leader in your field and there must not be another in your industry in the club. I was 25 when I joined.” Later, Henry became the youngest-ever chapter president, at age 37. “We donated the first defibrillator to Hato Hone St John,” says Henry proudly. Through the Rotary club, Henry became involved in several projects, including being chairman of the Rotary International Student Exchange programme. Henry was nominated to become a Justice of the Peace, a role he has diligently carried out for the residents of West Auckland and the North Shore for 45 years.
“I am a proud Westie. My family are from here; my grandfather was the first mayor of Henderson – Norcross Avenue was named after him. We have strong ties.” These ties meant West Aucklanders benefited when, in 1996, the family’s Norcross Falls Heritage Trust renovated and then donated both the iconic Falls Hotel and the Henderson Railway to the community.
Like many areas, West Auckland has pockets of poverty, and six local intermediate and high schools benefited when the Norcross Trust set up scholarships to help ease the burden of school uniform and education costs. “The schools decide who the recipients are,” says Henry.
Always keen on horses, Henry and Judy bought several acres of farmland where they set up a stud farm, breeding and racing thoroughbreds. When developers came knocking, they, along with their neighbours, formed the Westgate Group, with Henry as the group’s representative. By selling the land they helped to kickstart the ‘North West transformation’ – there are now hundreds of homes on the site, with more being built.
The land sale meant Henry and Judy were in an even stronger position to help their community further. They were keen to contribute when the Waitakere Hospital asked for donations for their chapel restoration, providing the lion’s share of the funds. “The chapel was going to be a place where anyone of any faith or belief could seek comfort. It was an honour to be one their benefactors.”
Henry’s contribution to the economy and community have been recognised by several organisations over the years. He is a recipient of a Community Service Award from Hato Hone St John, is in the Waitakere Business Hall of Fame and received the Millennium Medal from Waitakere City for his “help in building the West,” to name a few.
At 86, Henry is now semi-retired, and is still carrying out his JP role as well as other projects. The stud farm might be gone but Henry’s equine interest remains, with racing shares in many horses in New Zealand and Australia.
Henry and Judy moved to Summerset at Monterey Park 18 months ago and love it. “Our daughter put the idea of a retirement community into our heads. We knew we wanted to move to one while we were healthy, so we could enjoy it. We looked plenty, but this was the place we wanted,” says Henry. “We enjoy a lovely water view and have wonderful neighbours and new friends.” Henry says he especially appreciates the help he gets from the village staff. “They are just top-notch. We are very happy here.”
This is an article from the Autumn 2026 edition of Summerset Scene magazine