Posted on 04/04/2006 8:18:19 PM PDT by NZerFromHK
The Queen has approved the appointment of Judge Anand Satyanand to succeed Dame Silvia Cartwright as Governor-General of New Zealand.
Prime Minister Helen Clark had high praise for the Judge and welcomed his appointment.
"Judge Satyanand will bring many personal strengths to the role of Governor-General, including a broad knowledge of the workings of government and the law, as well as a deep appreciation of the different groups and communities which make up contemporary New Zealand.
"Judge Satyanand has had a multi-faceted career as a lawyer, a judge, and an ombudsman. Throughout his working life Judge Satyanand has made a substantial contribution to legal reform and legal education.
"He has been active in a range of community, cultural and sporting groups, and maintains an abiding interest in international affairs and New Zealand's relationships with other countries.
"Judge Satyanand has close ties to Asia and to the Pacific. He is of Indian descent and his parents moved to New Zealand from Fiji.
"The role of Governor-General in the 21st century is a demanding one. New Zealand is extremely fortunate to have a person of Judge Satyanand's calibre and background who is prepared to serve as New Zealand's next Governor-General.
"The government conveys its best wishes to Judge Satyanand and his wife, Susan.
"Dame Silvia Cartwright will complete her term on 4 August 2006 and Judge Satyanand will be sworn in as Governor-General at a date to be determined thereafter," Helen Clark said.
The appointment drew praise from the major political parties.
National leader Don Brash said the Judge, "has had a long period of public service in both judicial and quasi-judicial roles, and I congratulate him on his appointment.
"His experience makes him well suited to carry out the very important functions of Governor-General. We wish him well and look forward to working with him."
United Future leader Peter Dunne today expressed "keen delight" at the appointment.
"I warmly welcome his appointment and I believe that with his Asian, Fijian, Indian and Kiwi background he will do an excellent job for the increasingly diverse society that is New Zealand today.
"With his experience in the legal, sporting, banking and international arenas, Judge Satyanand has a unique insight into New Zealand society that make him an excellent choice to be our next Governor-General," said Mr Dunne.
NZ First leader Winston Peters said the appointment was a "smart choice for the 21st Century."
According to a biography released by the government, the Judge was born and raised in Auckland where he attended Richmond Road Primary in Ponsonby, and Sacred Heart College in Glen Innes.
After graduating with a law degree from the University of Auckland in 1970, Judge Satyanand spent the next 12 years in practice in Auckland, including employment with the Crown Solicitors' Office, and subsequently in partnership with Shieff Angland Solicitors.
He became a district court judge in 1982, holding warrants for both criminal and civil jurisdictions.
His main specialist work was in the criminal law area as a trial judge for 10 years.
In 1995 Judge Satyanand was appointed as an ombudsman, completing two five-year terms in February 2005.
In this role, he dealt with complaints about unfairness on the part of government officials, assessed governance processes, and worked in the freedom of information area.
Throughout his career, Judge Satyanand has contributed to professional legal education in New Zealand and internationally.
He has been a teacher and mentor to many individuals and institutions, and has written and published considerably in specialist areas.
He has also been a regular contributor to a Commonwealth Secretariat-funded Ombudsman training programme each year since 1998.
Judge Satyanand has been frequently called on as a presenter, chair, moderator, and facilitator at a wide range of seminars, professional education courses, and debates.
Since the completion of his term as an ombudsman, Judge Satyanand's experience and expertise have been called on in a number of areas.
He recently reviewed the New Zealand Banking Ombudsman Scheme.
With this announcement that he will be the next Governor-General, Judge Satyanand will be standing down from two current roles as Chairman of the Confidential Forum for Former In Patients of Psychiatric Hospitals, and as the Registrar of Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament.
Judge Satyanand has a long-standing interest in international affairs and New Zealand's place in the world.
He has been a Board member of Asia New Zealand Foundation since 2000, and is currently on the national bodies of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs and Transparency International.
He is a long time contributor to community events, both cultural and sporting.
Prior to his appointment as a Judge he spent a number of years in football administration with New Zealand Rugby League, and some time as a member of the Freemans Bay Community Committee.
While working as a Judge, he had two principal areas of community contact: as a prison board chairman and as a member of the national parole board.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2005, Judge Satyanand was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM).
Judge Satyanand was born in Auckland on 22 July, 1944 and raised in New Zealand.
His grandparents migrated from India to Fiji at the turn of the 20th century.
In turn his parents took up residence in New Zealand from Fiji, following completion of their education.
Judge Satyanand was educated in Auckland and practised law in Auckland before working as a judge in Palmerston North, Waitakere, Otahuhu and Auckland.
As an ombudsman, he was based in Wellington, but with responsibility for work emanating from the Auckland office covering the country north of Lake Taupo.
He and his wife Susan were married in 1970, and they have three adult children.
It may seem absurd to Americans, but British and Westminster style political systems seem to have lives of their own. They have no organization based on logic, just like Britain's colonial administrative policies - a confusing mesh of policies and acts.
http://www.cathnews.com/news/604/24.php
Queen approves Catholic for new Kiwi GG
For the first time, the Queen has approved a Catholic for appointment to the position of Governor-General of New Zealand.
61 year old Judge Anand Satyanand, a Fijian of Indian descent, is a regular mass-goer and parishioner of St Joseph's, Mt Victoria, in Wellington.
Australia has had Catholic Governor-Generals, but this is a first for New Zealand, which has a significantly lower proportion of Catholics in its population.
"He has been active in a range of community, cultural and sporting groups, and maintains an abiding interest in international affairs and New Zealand's relationships with other countries," said Prime Minister Helen Clark. "Judge Satyanand has close ties to Asia and to the Pacific. He is of Indian descent and his parents moved to New Zealand from Fiji."
Hinting a possible controversy, the AIDS Foundation pointed out that Satyanand is a Catholic, and that the tradition of Governor-Generals accepting patronage of the AIDS Fondation - which has been followed until now - is not automatic.
Ping!
I have not been able to see any difference between the Sermon on the Mount and the Bhagavad Gita. What the Sermon describes in a graphic manner, the Bhagavad Gita reduces to a scientific formula. It may not be a scientific book in the accepted sense of the term, but it has argued out the law of love-the law of abandon, as I would call it-in a scientific manner. The Sermon on the Mount gives the same law in wonderful language. The New Testament gave me comfort and boundless joy, as it came after the repulsion that parts of the Old had given me. Today, supposing I was deprived of the Gita and forgot all its contents but had a copy of the Sermon, I should derive the same joy from it as I do from the Gita. -- MK Gandhi.
I am not familiar with the NZ Constitution, but under the Australian Constitution the Governor General has significant reserve powers. Kerr used those reserve powers in 1975 when he dismissed the Whitlam government. This is the only time in over a century that the reserve powers have been used.
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