Anand Satyanand

Infobox Governor
honorific-prefix = His Excellency The Honourable
name = Anand Satyanand
honorific-suffix =
PCNZM QSO


order = Governor General of New Zealand
monarch = Elizabeth II
primeminister = Helen Clark
term_start = 23 August 2006
term_end =
predecessor = Silvia Cartwright
successor =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1944|7|22|df=yes
birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand
spouse = Susan Satyanand
profession = Lawyer
Judge
Ombudsman
alma_mater = University of Auckland
religion = Roman Catholiccite web|publisher=Catholic News|url=http://www.cathnews.com/news/604/24.html|title=Queen approves Catholic for new Kiwi GG|date=2006-04-05|accessdate=2007-08-22] |

Anand "Satch" [cite web| last = Wong | first = Pansy | authorlink = Pansy Wong | date = 2006-04-07 | url = http://www.pansywong.co.nz/eng/view.php?newsid=297 | title = The Governor-General with the big heart | accessdate = 2006-06-10] Satyanand, PCNZM, QSO (born 22 July 1944) is the Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.

Early life and family

Satyanand was born and raised in Auckland to an Indo-Fijian and Anglo-Indian family. His grandparents arrived in Fiji from India in 1911, and were married on Nukulau Island. His father, Mutyala Satyanand, a medical doctor, was born in Sigatoka in 1913 and first came to New Zealand in 1927 to attend high school. [cite journal |last=Satyanand |first=Anand |year=2003 |month=14 January |title=Mutyala Satyanand |journal=The New Zealand Medical Journal |volume=116 |issue=1168 |pages= |id= |url=http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1168/318/ |accessdate= 2007-08-24 ] His mother, Tara Tillak, a nurse, was from Suva and married his father after moving to New Zealand.

Satyanand attended Sacred Heart College and the University of Auckland. Initially he took a medical intermediate course, but later said "...in reality I did not do well enough to gain entry into the medical school. Looking back over that year, I remembered that one of the things I had really enjoyed was the debating and forum meetings involving students."cite web|url=http://www.adls.org.nz/profession/lawnews/2006/issueno13/ln1305.asp| author=Graham Weir|title=New Governor General, Anand Satyanand, is a former ADLS council member|publisher=Law News| accessdate=2007-04-14] Instead he took up law and received a Bachelor of Laws in 1970. He worked as a lawyer for the next 12 years, initially for Greig, Bourke and Kettelwell. Later he worked as a barrister for the Crown Law Office. He served on the Council of the Auckland District Law Society from 1979 until his appointment as a judge of the District Court of New Zealand in 1982.

During the 1975 general election Satyanand and his wife helped David Lange in his first, unsuccessful attempt at election. Later, when Satyanand was a law student, he helped Clive Edwards (later Tongan deputy prime minister) when he stood in Auckland Central for National. [The New Zealand Herald, "A natural in the Big House". Saturday September 23, 2006 [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=1500905&objectid=10402531 Source] ]

In 1995 he was appointed an ombudsman and he served two five-year terms. Between 2005 and his appointment as Governor-General he chaired the Confidential Forum for Former In-Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals.

Satyanand and his wife have three adult children.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Satyanand was appointed by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, [ [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5147.asp Buckingham Palace press release] ] on the advice of Prime Minister Helen Clark. He replaced Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand on 23 August 2006. His appointment was welcomed by every Parliamentary party leader. [ [http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=25354 PM welcomes Anand Satyanand as next Governor-General] , New Zealand Government press release] He is the first Governor-General of Asian descent and the first Roman Catholic Governor-General.

Satyanand is the first Governor-General not to hold a knighthood (Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, Governor of New Zealand 1855-1861, was knighted in office). However, recent changes meant that upon assuming the role of Governor-General he received the style The Honourable for life. [ [http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=26475 Beehive - Changes to rules around use of title ] ] .

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Order of St John, received Satyanand as Governor-General designate on 7 July 2006 and invested him as a Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. [ [http://www.royal.gov.uk Welcome to the official web site of the British Monarchy ] ]

In May 2007 changes were made to the Queen's Service Order. Under the previous Royal Warrant, the Governor-General was ex-officio Principal Companion of the Order but was not a member of the Order. The Royal Warrant now provides for the appointment of the Governor-General as a Companion of the Order in his or her own right. [ [http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=29454 Beehive - Changes to QSO and QSM Honours affect Gov Gen ] ]

The first bill he granted Royal Assent to was the Coroners Bill. [ [http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/1/6/6/166fb948c36b4d45a8b3dd644e68d213.htm] ]

Fijian coup talks

On 30 November 2006 Satyanand hosted a meeting between the then Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase and Fiji's military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama at Government House in Wellington in an attempt to resolve the escalating crisis in Fiji. Although he hosted the meeting he did not take part in the discussions, which were chaired by New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters. [cite news|title=Talks on Fiji situation constructive, says Peters|url=http://www.aucklandfiji.org.nz/news_view.asp?newsid=104|publisher=Auckland Fiji Community|date=30 November 2006] This was the last serious effort by the international community to avert a military coup, which followed on 5 December.

References

External links

* [http://www.gg.govt.nz/media/news.asp?type=current&ID=156 Government House, Wellington biography]
* [http://www.gg.govt.nz/honours/queens.asp 2006 Birthday Honours List] at Government House, Wellington
* [http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/APRIL_15_2006_WEB_EDITION/2.htm Getting to know our new Governor-General]