About Anand Satyanand
Sir Anand Satyanand (born 22 July 1944) is a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and ombudsman who served as the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. Satyanand was the Chair of the Commonwealth Foundation for two 2-year terms, ending in December 2016. He then chaired the Commonwealth Group which observed the national elections in Papua New Guinea in 2017. In 2018, the New Zealand Government appointed him to lead the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State care and in the care of Faith-based Institutions. In November 2019, at the conclusion of its build-up phase, he stepped down as Chair of the Commission. He served as Chancellor of the University of Waikato from August 2019 until July 2025. Later, in the 1975 general election, Anand and Susan helped David Lange in his first, unsuccessful attempt at election (for Labour, in the seat of Hobson). English is Satyanand's first language, but he also has some understanding of Fijian, Māori, Telugu (his Indian-origin heritage language) and Fiji Hindi (the lingua franca of his Indo-Fijian ethnic community). The first bill to which Satyanand granted Royal Assent was the Coroners Bill.
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