95 Facts About Helen Clark

Helen Clark was New Zealand's fifth-longest-serving prime minister, and the second woman to hold that office.

Helen Clark entered the University of Auckland in 1968 to study politics, and became active in the New Zealand Labour Party.

Helen Clark held numerous Cabinet positions in the Fourth Labour Government, including minister of housing, minister of health and minister of conservation.

Helen Clark was the 11th deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 1989 to 1990 serving under prime ministers Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore.

Helen Clark led the Fifth Labour Government, which implemented several major economic initiatives including Kiwibank, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme and KiwiSaver.

Helen Clark's government introduced the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004, which caused major controversy.

In foreign affairs, Helen Clark sent troops to the Afghanistan War, but did not contribute combat troops to the Iraq War, and ordered a deployment to the 2006 East Timorese crisis.

Helen Clark was ranked by Forbes as the 20th-most powerful woman in the world in 2006.

Helen Clark was succeeded as prime minister by John Key of the National Party, and as leader of the Labour Party by Phil Goff.

Helen Clark resigned from Parliament in April 2009 to become the first female head of the United Nations Development Programme.

Helen Clark left her UNDP administrator post on 19 April 2017 at the end of her second four-year term and was succeeded by Achim Steiner.

Helen Clark was the eldest of four daughters of a farming family at Te Pahu, west of Hamilton, in the Waikato.

Helen Clark's mother, Margaret McMurray, of Irish birth, was a primary school teacher.

Helen Clark studied at Te Pahu Primary School, at Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland and at the University of Auckland, where she majored in politics and graduated with an MA in 1974.

Helen Clark's thesis focused on rural political behaviour and representation.

Helen Clark has worked actively in the New Zealand Labour Party for most of her life.

Helen Clark was a junior lecturer in political studies at the University of Auckland from 1973 to 1975.

Helen Clark instead stood for Piako, a National safe seat.

Helen Clark studied abroad on a University Grants Committee post-graduate scholarship in 1976, and then lectured in political studies at Auckland again while undertaking her PhD from 1977 until her election to Parliament in 1981.

Helen Clark served as a member of Labour's national executive committee from 1978 until September 1988, and again from April 1989.

Helen Clark chaired the University of Auckland Princes Street branch of the Labour Party during her studies, becoming active alongside future Labour politicians including Richard Prebble, David Caygill, Margaret Wilson and Richard Northey.

Helen Clark held the positions of president of the Labour Youth Council, executive member of the party's Auckland Regional Council, secretary of the Labour Women's Council and member of the Policy Council.

Helen Clark represented the New Zealand Labour Party at the congresses of the Socialist International and of the Socialist International Women in 1976,1978,1983 and 1986, at an Asia-Pacific Socialist Organisation Conference held in Sydney in 1981, and at the Socialist International Party Leaders' Meeting in Sydney in 1991.

Helen Clark did not contest the 1978 election, but in 1980 she put her name forward to replace long serving MP Warren Freer in the safe Labour seat of Mount Albert.

Helen Clark beat six other contenders including electorate chairman Keith Elliot, former MP Malcolm Douglas and future MP Jack Elder for the nomination.

Helen Clark was duly elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1981 general election, as one of eight female members in the 40th Parliament.

In 1987, Helen Clark became a Cabinet minister in the Fourth Labour Government, led by David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore.

Helen Clark served as Minister of Conservation from August 1987 until January 1989 and as Minister of Housing from August 1987 until August 1989.

Helen Clark became Minister of Health in January 1989, and took on additional portfolios as Minister of Labour and Deputy Prime Minister in August 1989.

Helen Clark introduced the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990, a law which restricted smoking in places such as workplaces and schools.

From October 1990 until December 1993 Helen Clark held the posts of Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow spokesperson for Health and Labour, and member of the Social Services Select Committee and of the Labour Select Committee.

Helen Clark was particularly critical of Moore for delivering blurred messages during the 1993 election campaign, and accused him of failing to re-brand Labour as a centre-left party which had jettisoned Rogernomics.

Helen Clark became the Leader of the Opposition on 1 December 1993.

Helen Clark led the Labour Party in opposition to the National-led government of Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley.

Helen Clark announced her first shadow cabinet on 13 December 1993, but the ousted Moore refused any portfolios.

At one reshuffle, in June 1995, Helen Clark herself took the shadow foreign affairs portfolio.

The Labour Party rated poorly in opinion polls in the run-up to the 1996 general election, and Helen Clark suffered from a low personal approval rating.

Labour lost the election in October 1996, but Helen Clark remained as Opposition leader.

Helen Clark was seen as having convincingly won the election debates which led to Labour doing better than predicted.

The ensuing argument saw Helen Clark being reduced to tears on national television.

In 1999, Helen Clark was involved in a defamation case in the High Court of New Zealand with Auckland orthopaedic surgeon Joe Brownlee, resulting in Helen Clark's making an unreserved apology.

Helen Clark became the second woman to serve as Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the first to have won office at an election.

Helen Clark served as the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage throughout her premiership.

Helen Clark had additional ministerial responsibility for the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and for Ministerial Services.

Helen Clark entered office just three years after the adoption of the Mixed Member Proportional voting system, which had produced an unstable National-led government under Bolger and Shipley.

Helen Clark set herself the task of making New Zealand the first ecologically sustainable nation, describing this as "central to New Zealand's unique national identity".

Helen Clark made every attempt to make sure that gender was not an issue in politics.

In 2006 Helen Clark was 20th in Forbes magazine's ranking of the world's 100 most powerful women.

Helen Clark repeatedly stated her desire to "govern alone" rather than as part of a coalition.

Helen Clark confirmed this, but denied that she had made attempts to get Doone to resign and defended being the source as "by definition I cannot leak".

Helen Clark responded by saying that National supporters had funded Doone's defamation-suit.

Helen Clark backed her MP, referring to Yelash as a "murderer" when he had in fact been convicted of manslaughter, a less serious offence.

Helen Clark stated that China hoped to "establish bilateral long-term and stable overall cooperative relations [with New Zealand]".

Helen Clark strongly supported China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

In March 2002, Helen Clark made her first visit to the United States as Prime Minister.

In June 2002, Helen Clark apologised on behalf of New Zealand for aspects of the country's treatment of Samoa during the colonial era.

Helen Clark's apology was made in Apia during the 40th anniversary of Samoa's independence and televised live to New Zealand where Samoans applauded the Prime Minister's gesture.

Political opponents claimed that Helen Clark could have continued to govern, and that a snap election was called to take advantage of Labour's strong position in opinion polls.

In opinion surveys conducted during the election campaign, Helen Clark scored high approval ratings and was far ahead of other party leaders as "preferred Prime Minister".

The debate was reignited when investigative journalist Nicky Hager published a book, Seeds of Distrust, in which he alleged that Helen Clark's government had covered up a contamination of genetically modified corn plants in 2000.

In 2003, Helen Clark criticised the Invasion of Iraq without an explicit United Nations mandate, and her government opposed New Zealand military action in the Iraq War.

Helen Clark's government did not send combat troops to Iraq, although some medical and engineering units were sent.

Helen Clark said that she was busy working in the back seat and had no influence or role in the decision to speed and did not realise the speed of her vehicle.

In November 2004, Helen Clark announced that negotiations with China had commenced for a free-trade agreement, eventually signing a comprehensive agreement in July 2008.

Helen Clark became first Labour leader to win three consecutive elections.

On 26 May 2006, Helen Clark ordered a military deployment to the 2006 East Timorese crisis alongside international partners.

On 8 February 2008, Helen Clark was recognised as the longest-serving leader of the Labour Party in its history, having served for 14 years, 69 days.

Portrayals of Helen Clark as controlling and manipulative after the 2005 election increased when she abandoned her consensus-managerial approach, such as during the New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy, and her support of the Crimes Amendment Act 2007.

Helen Clark was accused of having a "nanny state" approach to social issues, a perception captured by the pejorative term 'Helengrad'.

Labour did not have the numbers to ally with smaller parties and no viable path to government; Helen Clark conceded defeat to Key and announced that she was standing down as party leader.

On 11 November 2008 Helen Clark was succeeded by Phil Goff as Leader of the Labour Party.

Early in her career Helen Clark gained a reputation as a capable advocate of nuclear disarmament and public health policy.

Helen Clark's government was pragmatic, managerial, concerned with stability, and focused on incremental changes over grand projects.

Likewise, commentator John Armstrong, while praising Helen Clark, describes her as a "technocratic" prime minister "who will be remembered more for her management abilities than a capacity to inspire".

In January 2009, two months after losing office, Helen Clark was voted 'Greatest Living New Zealander' in an opt-in website poll run by The New Zealand Herald.

Helen Clark was the first defeated Labour Prime Minister to immediately resign the party leadership rather than lead it in Opposition.

Helen Clark served as the shadow foreign affairs spokesperson in the Shadow Cabinet of Phil Goff for several months before retiring from Parliament in April 2009 to accept a position with the United Nations.

Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on 17 April 2009, and was the first woman to lead the organisation.

Helen Clark was the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues.

Helen Clark was sworn in by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 27 April 2009.

Helen Clark was the only New Zealander to make the list.

Helen Clark worked to reform the administration and bureaucracy of UNDP, with an emphasis on greater transparency in the organisation.

In February 2015, Helen Clark visited Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to express solidarity with those working to prevent the spread of Ebola.

On 26 January 2017, Helen Clark announced that she would not seek re-election as UNDP Administrator after the completion of her four-year term.

Helen Clark said it had been an "honour and privilege" to have served in the role.

In January 2014, a Guardian interview with Helen Clark raised the possibility that she could take over as UN Secretary-General after Ban Ki-moon's retirement in 2016.

On 4 April 2016, Helen Clark officially submitted her nomination as New Zealand's candidate for the 2016 UN Secretary-General selection.

Helen Clark finished fifth place in the sixth poll; her candidacy was effectively vetoed when three of the permanent Security Council members voted against her.

Helen Clark served in the role alongside former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and of her appointment Clark said she hesitated before accepting because she felt the panel's task was "mission impossible".

Helen Clark was brought up as a Presbyterian, attending Sunday school weekly.

Helen Clark married sociologist Peter Davis in 1981, shortly before she was elected to Parliament.

In March 2001, Helen Clark referred to National MP Wyatt Creech as a "scumbag" and a "sleazeball" for having raised the issue of a potential conflict of interest involving Davis, who was leading an academic research team studying government health reforms.

Helen Clark has called for greater regulation of social media platforms, and supports the Christchurch Call.

In 1996, Helen Clark guest starred as herself in popular New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.

Helen Clark has guest-starred on bro'Town, the New Zealand animated television series.