Helen Clark: 'I’d like to think I was ahead of my time'
Helen Clark, 69, is the second woman to hold the post of prime minister of Aotearoa New Zealand and fifth-longest serving prime minister. She was also the first female head of the United Nations Development Program.
How has it been stepping down from parliament and the United Nations, and what’s next for you? It’s felt liberating after half a century in institutions — first the University of Auckland, then parliament, then the United Nations. Now I choose exactly what I want to do and when I do it. I’m ticking things off the bucket list, like taking the Trans-Siberian Railway and visiting Mozambique, and my husband has been working with a board of trustees to set up a foundation in my name. The idea is to support and work around things I’ve long been interested in, such as evidence-based policy, public health and penal policy.
I found when I left the United Nations, the emails and phone calls never stopped coming. I ended up being very busy with various advisory boards, events, lectures and keynote speeches. Especially because I don’t specialise in any one thing – I’m involved in sustainability and the environment, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, a whole range of women’s issues, and drug policy, amongst others. This all conspires to keep me quite busy. Retirement is not in the vocabulary. But a lot of people of my generation stay active. Just stopping and hanging up your boots at 65 is almost unthinkable.
New Zealand has a history of better equality for women than many Western nations. Why do you think that is? We’re a small country but when movements get traction here, they tend to sweep nationwide. We were not a rich colony, but a society where European settler women worked just as hard as men did. In the early 1890s when the first suffragettes pushed for the vote, they set the tone for other New Zealand women. It took a while, but it laid the groundwork for others to push on through.
What would be your number one piece of advice for women in mid-to-late life? I guess it depends on what they’ve been involved in, and whether they are able to carry on. I’m very conscious that there’s a difference in my life to a woman who’s been standing on a factory floor for four decades – I can understand if she would like to take a rest and wind down. We all come from different contexts. For women who have been professional like myself, there is no reason to stop. There is a lot to be done out there on a pro-bono basis. Think of all the women coming out of medicine, law, business and other industries that are crying out for board members. There’s teaching or considering the other inspiring things women do in their later years. There are always community-based initiatives looking for people to help. Get involved where you feel you can make a difference.
What does power mean to you? Power in itself is a neutral concept – I think it can be put to good or bad ends, and I like to think I put it into doing good. For me, it’s about having the platform to build a better, happier, healthier and more inclusive society which is considerate of nature and the environment.
How do you hope people will remember you, and what do you think will be your legacy? I put a lot of effort into making things different for people and supporting them — I’d like to think I was ahead of my time in this respect. In my years of being prime minister there were a lot of good policies put into place, and a lot of things have endured. I had a vision for a better New Zealand. I’d like to think I was someone who put the building blocks in place for defining our values, developing our culture and the arts, and supporting families, which reaped dividends for generations.
You certainly paved the way for Jacinda Ardern. We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before, and those 1893 suffragettes were the first example.
Lastly, what would you say to older women who feel they are invisible or don’t have a voice in current society? It’s shocking that people are living in a context where that’s how they perceive they are seen. Self-esteem is incredibly important, and anything one can do to encourage self-worth. Your voice and engagement is important. Don’t just pack it all away and think that’s the end. We can expect to have long lives. Find things that stir your passion – this could be family or local organisations. Don’t wait to be asked, just crash on in. I don’t think anyone ever rolled out a red carpet for me. Find resilience and self-esteem and roll out the red carpet for yourself!
This is an edited extract from The Power Age: A Celebration of Life’s Second Act by Kelly Doust, published by Murdoch Books, AUD $39.99