News
Ex-PM urges young women to aim high
12th August 2010
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark last night encouraged young
women to reach for the heights as she took time out from her job at
the United Nations. 
Helen Clark, now the head of the UN's Development Programme, was
in Auckland to speak at a dinner marking the YWCA Auckland's 125th
anniversary, a celebration of women's leadership.
One teenager she spoke to, 17-year-old Shukria Safdari, was more
than impressed to meet the former Prime Minister. "She's a
great role model and quite an inspiration. So to speak to her is
pretty great." Ms Safdari's brother was one of the Tampa
asylum seekers whom Helen Clark famously brought to NZ.
Helen Clark said being involved in an organisation such as the
YWCA, encouraging leadership among women, has always been important
to her. "I've always supported the YWCA's leading women
programme - I went to all their dinners while I was PM - because I
could see that getting mentors to support young woman like Shukria
was really going to make a huge difference to their lives."
Told she was an inspiration to many young women, and women
generally, around New Zealand, she smiled. "Well, I think
those of us who've climbed to the top of the tree have a duty to be
a role model to others," she said.
Asked how Prime Minister John Key was doing in his role, she
said: "Oh, I never answer such questions." What about the
Labour Party's issues? "I don't get into those either," she said,
laughing.
Asked what her ambitions were, she said her dreams had already
"absolutely" come true. "I went up there [to New York] to do
the UNDP job and I personally think it's the best job in the union.
It's a huge development programme, connecting to good work with the
sort of things I believe in, in virtually every developed country
in the world.
"And I'm very happy with that. It's the right position for me.
So that's my four years mapped out."
By Vaimoana Tapaleao, New Zealand Herald. Photo /
Greg Bowker
Photos of the Gala Dinner will be posted soon.