The man then sat next to him, punching him about the face and legs.
Noticing an injury to his eye a short time later, he told his son to tell people he got it from being in a fight with a friend.
The man - who was granted permanent name suppression to protect his children's identity - appeared in the Hamilton District Court today via audiovisual link for sentencing on multiple charges including child neglect.
Court documents show a protection order was put in place against his son and daughter in 2014. They were put back in his care by Oranga Tamariki in 2019 after being removed from the custody of their biological mother.
However, not long after being his care, in January 2020, the children were regularly left at home alone to fend for themselves while he went out - often for long periods of time.
They would be left to feed themselves and get themselves to school.
If their father wasn't home by night time, the children would go to the home of his partner asking if she knew where he was and what time he would be home.
The man initially told police he didn't recall any of the offending, before advising, through Keung at a sentence indication, that he only left the children alone while working in the afternoon.
The hearing began with the man seeking permission to read his pepeha to the court, to which was then followed by the judge sharing his own.
"Twenty-nine years I've been in the system and it's the first time I've been given this opportunity," he said.
His counsel Jarom Keung, outlined how important the opportunity had been for his client to say his pepeha along with going through the process of getting a cultural report prepared for sentencing.
Cultural reports provide a more in-depth insight into an offender's background and have become more frequently used during the sentencing process in recent years.
Keung asked for a further 10 to 15 per cent discount for the report's contents, namely being raised in boys' homes throughout his youth and subjected to violence, not knowing his father, and his mother more recently passing away before he was put into custody.
Keung told the judge that his client had taken steps to rehabilitate while in custody, providing certificates for completed courses.
"He is genuine and it will be his last time in prison."
'I'm sick of seeing him in court'
Judge Cocorullo responded that it was time he started "doing the hikoi with the korero" - actioning what he promised to do.
"He's sick of returning to jail, I'm sick of seeing him in court.
"I don't want him to hit anyone and at age 45, I want him to move well past this disrespectful behaviour."
Keung assured Judge Cocorullo he had seen a "softening of his personality" in terms of being able to work through his issues.
"So hopefully, and he's hopeful, that this is genuinely his last time."
Judge Cocorullo also agreed to remit his $2465.38 in fines for a small amount of further jail time to ensure he was released with a clean slate.
"It's much better that you come out of jail not worried about fines and more focused on keeping your hands to yourself. If you do that work on yourself and continue to do that work on yourself, we'll all be happy.
"Yes, your honour," the man replied.
After a 24-month starting point, the judge took into account the man's guilty pleas, remorse, and cultural report, before arriving at an end jail term of 18 months on two charges of child neglect, breaching a protection order and injuring with intent.
"This was serious violence offending by you, particularly the lead charge upon a young and vulnerable individual.
"The real challenge for you at your age which you have worked out is to turn away from violent offending."
Given he had been in custody since November last year, the man would soon be released on a time-served basis.
