Heart-warming gesture to Sir Anand
The New Zealand Indian Central Association along with the Pukekohe Indian Association hosted a heartwarming function to felicitate Governor General of New Zealand Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, at the end of his role as the Queen’s nineteenth representative of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Hundreds from the community gathered at the well-appointed venue in Pukekohe on the evening of July 9 to accord the well-loved Governor General and his wife Lady Susan Satyanand a fond farewell to remember.
New Zealand’s first Governor General of Indian and Pacific heritage was born and raised in Auckland. His father Mutyala Satyanand, a medical doctor, and mother Tara migrated here from Fiji in 1911. Sir Anand was born on July 22, 1944. It is fitting that this tribute appears in the Indian Weekender issue that coincides with his birthday.
Initially, he tried to follow his father’s vocation enrolling at Otago’s medical school but soon gave up, deciding to pursue instead a career in law back in the city of his birth, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland in 1970.
He worked as a lawyer for the next 12 years, initially at a law firm and then 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. In 1995 he was appointed an ombudsman and he served two five-year terms.
Sir Anand assumed the office of the Governor General on August 23, 2006. Following the changes to the honours system announced by Prime Minister John Key on 8 March 2009, the Queen approved Sir Anand's redesignation from a PCNZM (Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) to a GNZM (Knight Grand Companion) on March 27, 2009.
Speaking at the event in Pukekohe, Sir Anand acknowledged many from the Indian community with whom his paths had crossed during his eventful career as successful lawyer, judge, ombudsman, Governor General and above all, as a community leader – a well-loved man of the people.
Among those present were a number of people who have been closely associated with Sir Anand for decades, some of them even from his primary school days. For many of the guests, the occasion was a long, nostalgic walk down memory lane.
He personally acknowledged his family’s long term friendships the Indian community: he mentioned the Giridhars, Bhakta Das and Saroj Prasad among many others, narrating little incidents that seemed deeply embedded in his memory in a fond way.
Two of these were about how Pukekohe-grown garlic found their way to Nausori in Fiji as part of a passenger’s baggage and about guessing games that were played about the colour of the turban that long time associate Ganges Singh would wear to an occasion.
He said that connections with the Indian community went back all those decades and those were reaffirmed when he was accorded an emotional felicitation on his appointment as Governor General.
“India as part of my heritage was cemented on my first day as Governor General with garlands and a tilak from the Indian community,” he said.
Over the 200 years that Indian have been living in New Zealand, the community had made many contributions, Sir Anand said. He recalled his trip with former NZICA President Ratilal Champaneri to the small town of Milton in Otago to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in New Zealand, at which a statue of discoverer Gabriel Reed’s statue was unveiled.
Though it was Reed who discovered the ore, it was an Indian, Edward Peters by name, who had pointed it to him, Sir Anand said. Peters had come to New Zealand under what could politely be termed as “informal immigration”, he said to laughter from the audience. A museum in Lawrence in central Otago had an “Edward Peters Corner”, he added.
The Indian community had “flowered and matured” over the years, he said. “In the 1970s there were fewer than 10000, now there are more than 100,000 making Indians the second largest ethnic Asian group. The participation of Indians is huge. When I joined law, Indian lawyers could be counted on one hand now there is a whole roomful and more,” he added.
While being Governor General, he had the occasion to attend several functions with “an Indian dimension” throughout the country, he said. Among these he recalled Diwali in many parts of the country, the diamond jubilee of the Wellington Indian Sports Club, the 85th anniversary of NZICA in Palmerston North and the NZICA Womens Conference in Wellington in 2008 that Lady Susan inaugurated.
Touching upon relations between Indian and New Zealand, Sir Anand acknowledged the current negotiations on the free trade agreement and the commitment of Prime Ministers John Key and Manmohan Singh. He said there was “real substance” in the negotiations and that the relationship between the two countries “ was becoming closer in a substantive way”.
Sir Anand described the Pravasi Bharatiya Award that was presented to him at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi was one of his most cherished. While it made him proud of his Indian heritage, it also reflected the greatness of a country like New Zealand where it was possible for a person of Indian, whose grandparents and parents were migrants, could stand proud with achievements as lawyer, judge, ombudsman and finally as Governor General.
He said he looked forward to “restore the spontaneity and relative anonymity that comes out of stepping down from office.” He was carrying a multitude of memories with him, he added, many of these were shared closely with the Indian community.
NZICA General Secretary Raj Thandi said, “Sir Anand is a great New Zealander and distinguished community leader. He is a fine example of a New Zealander who made good through hard work and a commitment to realising high goals.
“The Association was very proud to honour Sir Anand and his wife, Lady Susan. A special plaque, designed by myself was presented to Sir Anand that symbolised the respect that he deserves.”
About 200 members and guests, including representatives of the New Zealand Government attended the function. Sir William Birch, a former New Zealand Minister of Finance, Ramesh Patel, a New Zealand Olympian, Judge Ajit Singh, Auckland City Councillor Des Morrison and Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi also attended the event among several other community luminaries.
The New Zealand Indian Central Association along with the Pukekohe Indian Association hosted a heartwarming function to felicitate Governor General of New Zealand Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, at the end of his role as the Queen’s nineteenth representative of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Hundreds from...
The New Zealand Indian Central Association along with the Pukekohe Indian Association hosted a heartwarming function to felicitate Governor General of New Zealand Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, at the end of his role as the Queen’s nineteenth representative of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Hundreds from the community gathered at the well-appointed venue in Pukekohe on the evening of July 9 to accord the well-loved Governor General and his wife Lady Susan Satyanand a fond farewell to remember.
New Zealand’s first Governor General of Indian and Pacific heritage was born and raised in Auckland. His father Mutyala Satyanand, a medical doctor, and mother Tara migrated here from Fiji in 1911. Sir Anand was born on July 22, 1944. It is fitting that this tribute appears in the Indian Weekender issue that coincides with his birthday.
Initially, he tried to follow his father’s vocation enrolling at Otago’s medical school but soon gave up, deciding to pursue instead a career in law back in the city of his birth, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Auckland in 1970.
He worked as a lawyer for the next 12 years, initially at a law firm and then 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. In 1995 he was appointed an ombudsman and he served two five-year terms.
Sir Anand assumed the office of the Governor General on August 23, 2006. Following the changes to the honours system announced by Prime Minister John Key on 8 March 2009, the Queen approved Sir Anand's redesignation from a PCNZM (Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) to a GNZM (Knight Grand Companion) on March 27, 2009.
Speaking at the event in Pukekohe, Sir Anand acknowledged many from the Indian community with whom his paths had crossed during his eventful career as successful lawyer, judge, ombudsman, Governor General and above all, as a community leader – a well-loved man of the people.
Among those present were a number of people who have been closely associated with Sir Anand for decades, some of them even from his primary school days. For many of the guests, the occasion was a long, nostalgic walk down memory lane.
He personally acknowledged his family’s long term friendships the Indian community: he mentioned the Giridhars, Bhakta Das and Saroj Prasad among many others, narrating little incidents that seemed deeply embedded in his memory in a fond way.
Two of these were about how Pukekohe-grown garlic found their way to Nausori in Fiji as part of a passenger’s baggage and about guessing games that were played about the colour of the turban that long time associate Ganges Singh would wear to an occasion.
He said that connections with the Indian community went back all those decades and those were reaffirmed when he was accorded an emotional felicitation on his appointment as Governor General.
“India as part of my heritage was cemented on my first day as Governor General with garlands and a tilak from the Indian community,” he said.
Over the 200 years that Indian have been living in New Zealand, the community had made many contributions, Sir Anand said. He recalled his trip with former NZICA President Ratilal Champaneri to the small town of Milton in Otago to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in New Zealand, at which a statue of discoverer Gabriel Reed’s statue was unveiled.
Though it was Reed who discovered the ore, it was an Indian, Edward Peters by name, who had pointed it to him, Sir Anand said. Peters had come to New Zealand under what could politely be termed as “informal immigration”, he said to laughter from the audience. A museum in Lawrence in central Otago had an “Edward Peters Corner”, he added.
The Indian community had “flowered and matured” over the years, he said. “In the 1970s there were fewer than 10000, now there are more than 100,000 making Indians the second largest ethnic Asian group. The participation of Indians is huge. When I joined law, Indian lawyers could be counted on one hand now there is a whole roomful and more,” he added.
While being Governor General, he had the occasion to attend several functions with “an Indian dimension” throughout the country, he said. Among these he recalled Diwali in many parts of the country, the diamond jubilee of the Wellington Indian Sports Club, the 85th anniversary of NZICA in Palmerston North and the NZICA Womens Conference in Wellington in 2008 that Lady Susan inaugurated.
Touching upon relations between Indian and New Zealand, Sir Anand acknowledged the current negotiations on the free trade agreement and the commitment of Prime Ministers John Key and Manmohan Singh. He said there was “real substance” in the negotiations and that the relationship between the two countries “ was becoming closer in a substantive way”.
Sir Anand described the Pravasi Bharatiya Award that was presented to him at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi was one of his most cherished. While it made him proud of his Indian heritage, it also reflected the greatness of a country like New Zealand where it was possible for a person of Indian, whose grandparents and parents were migrants, could stand proud with achievements as lawyer, judge, ombudsman and finally as Governor General.
He said he looked forward to “restore the spontaneity and relative anonymity that comes out of stepping down from office.” He was carrying a multitude of memories with him, he added, many of these were shared closely with the Indian community.
NZICA General Secretary Raj Thandi said, “Sir Anand is a great New Zealander and distinguished community leader. He is a fine example of a New Zealander who made good through hard work and a commitment to realising high goals.
“The Association was very proud to honour Sir Anand and his wife, Lady Susan. A special plaque, designed by myself was presented to Sir Anand that symbolised the respect that he deserves.”
About 200 members and guests, including representatives of the New Zealand Government attended the function. Sir William Birch, a former New Zealand Minister of Finance, Ramesh Patel, a New Zealand Olympian, Judge Ajit Singh, Auckland City Councillor Des Morrison and Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi also attended the event among several other community luminaries.
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