Helen Clark ONZ. Well deserved. Congratulations.
Helen Clark ONZ. Well deserved. Congratulations.
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 9:14 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Yes, a well-deserved honour. Whether you agreed with her politics or not, she always worked very hard for New Zealand and New Zealanders. Respected by the leaders of other nations, she advanced NZ’s reputation and responsibilities in many fields. Now continuing her work at the UN, I hope she gets to enjoy the recognition that the current Government, and citizens of this country have given her.
Rich, you’re the first to congratulate Helen.
H 
!!!!!!!!!
Helen has done a great job over the years and it’s great that she is being recognised. W
Congratulations Helen, for your well-deserved honour.
Yes a splendid award and long overdue.
Congrats!
Ms Clark is one of the few politicians who I think deserves to be awarded this honour, congratulations to her.
Unfortunately though, the ONZ continues to appear to be an old boys club for pollys, completely devaluing the intent of the honour. I can’t imagine a Damehood would have been well received though?!
Another year, another ten dollars won though, an ongoing bet with a friend that Peter Leitch, despite being one of the most worthy recipients I can think of, will never receive a knighthood.
Well done to helen . During her leadership , not only was our international standing advanced but there were significant improvements internally as well . To value the whole picture of Helen’s leadership you must consider the state of the country in 1999 and key policy that she established before 2008 .
Yes, I think that it’s a great honour for Helen!
I think that she did a GREAT job as our Prime Minister, and is doing a good job at the UN.
Well done Helen!
Big Well Done to Helen, she definately deserves this award, maybe you will got one in the future too Trev?
The ONZ list consists of too many former politicians who simply occupied space and time in the Parliament buildings, nothing more. Jonathan Hunt – The Minister Of Wine & Cheese – even has one for god’s sake. And Bolger ? WTF? What did Clark do to achieve hers? Nine years of eisenfaust control over her party, political manoeuvrings, social engineering and tacit approval to some of the dirtiest politics executed by her subordinates Mallard, Benson-Pope & Hodgson, unauthorized and deliberate use of public monies on electioneering and the egregious EFA. Oh, and an empty treasury.
Now let’s not go overboard here James!
Rather telling there Tiger that you could only manage to choke out three words for Helen Clark.
I pay homage to our former steely leader, Mother of the nation, the unsurpassable Supreme Ruler and comrade Helen Clark.
@ Blowhole – I assume you are refering to me – it is just that only one other person has called me that and there is no way you will be in that place – sometimes extra words not necessary.
@Angus – you are really generous today – hangover a day early?
Can we not have just one blog at least on this website that is free from trolls and scum like Slater.
Helen Clark was a prime minister to be admired. Along with all the excellent domestic policies, she developed a foreign policy to be proud of – including keeping us out of Iraq.
Please RedAlert, moderate the creeps from this blog. They have their own channels to vent their pathetic spleens.
James ,Trevor did get an award balanced deleted this isn’t about me al Trevor
I can’t think of anything good that came out of Helen Clark’s government.
What do you lefties think Helen Clark achieved to deserve this honour?
Having just read the comments on Kiwiblog, I can’t understand the vitriol. Helen Clark was PM for nine years and has been appointed to a top international job. She deserves her place on the ONZ list. Same as Mike Moore, although his place is for WTO work, not being a PM.
I do wonder about Jonathan Hunt and Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan’s place in ONZ – both deserved Knighthoods or the equivilant honours, but I think they look out of place among the other members. (Perhaps someone could educate me on Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan’s achievements as I cannot remember her except that she was a member of Parliament in the 1980s.)
However, I think this mornings DomPost article was a bit of a beatup – as ‘no-one’ likes politicians, picking them out from the ONZ list is a cheap headline.
This is great for Helen – she did us all proud as a country (and I suspect of the right were honest with themselves in private where no one here can hear them – they would agree)and the fact she in now 3rd in the UN is testiment to this. Good job all round really.
(Esp good job when you think back to the mess Labour had to clean up from the last time the nats were in – history repeating itself like a cucumber, I feel…)
@GN Whetu was a very young Maori woman elected in the late 1960s from memory. Part of a prominent family – her father was previously MP. She was a pioneer for women in politics, had children while an MP and was a Minister in the Kirk and Rowling governments. She had an accident in the late 1970s which slowed her up and she never achieved what many saw as her full potential. She still goes to the Thorndon Cityfitness Gym every now and again and is still seen at Ratana and MWWL activities.
I disagree strongly! Helen Clark and Doug Myers getting gongs is appalling – typical politicians rewarding mates and backers.
Cudos to people like Peter Jackson and Mason Durie who have made real efforts to help NZ society.
What did Myers do? Feed his bank balance. What did Clark do? Her job as an MP.
@ Logie97 – Clark sent NZ troops into the invasion and occupation of Iraq (it caused the implosion of the Alliance, remember?) NZ Army engineers were sent. Ditto Afghanistan – to ‘reconstruct’… what exactly did they reconstruct? The bodies of the victims of their joint NZ-US bombing?
Time to purge the honours list of the undeserving, including Helen Clark.
The Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, ONZ
Appointed to the Order on 6 February 1993
Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, born 1932, has been active in a wide-range of educational, welfare, cultural, and community programmes for Maori people for over 30 years. She has worked towards the harmonious relationship between the Maori and European New Zealand communities and advocated on behalf of Maori in order to remove disparities between the two cultures.
She is a former Member of Parliament for Southern Maori and a former Cabinet Minister, she was Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Social Welfare, and Minister for the Environment. She is also the longest serving woman in the history of the New Zealand Parliament, having served in office from 1967 to 1996.
She has promoted Maori input in local government planning and was instrumental in the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, Marae and Papakainga Housing, Maori news on radio and television, the protection of Maori fishing grounds, the Tangata Whenua vote, and she pioneered preventative health education in Maori.
Before her public service career, Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan worked as a social worker and served the community in many other areas. She addressed issues such as domestic violence and was instrumental in the establishment of the first group of social workers to dedicate themselves to this problem.
Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan was also active in educational fields. She was the founding President of the New Zealand Maori Students’ Federation and whilst she was Vice-President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association in 1960, she advocated the student health counselling service, the instigation of tuition in te reo, and the offering of New Zealand history courses at university.
@logie we are watching though in a slightly and growingly uneven basis. I’ve deleted a couple of comments that had been up for a period of time. Will only ban Blowhole on same basis as the small group of others from whom we are having short or long term respite.
I don’t think the Dom Post article was a beatup, just pointing out the obvious. New Zealand has 17 persons deemed greatest living citizens. Of those, 8 are politicians. Noone could deny that Jonathan Hunt had an illustrious 40 year career in politics, but can you honestly tell me that if the decision was to be made by anyone other than fellow politicians, that he would be deemed one of our Greatest Living Kiwis?
bob some of thought there was a considerable difference between being part of a US/UK/Aussie inter alia invasion and part of UN sanctioned reconstruction force.
correct me if I am wrong .. John Key had a part in both Helens present job and the ONZ.
Congratulations seems all that’s needed. Love her or loath her the nation all knows that she put all her passions and energy into her work. I’d be surprised to find out she only had 24 hours a day like us mortals.
Nathan, six (not eight) of the current 17 members of the Order of NZ are former politicians.
Interestingly, most were appointed by the ‘other’ party:
- Tirakatene-Sullivan in 1993 by Bolger’s govt
- Moore by Shipley’s (sure the effective date was 31 Dec 99, but would have all been signed and sealed before the change of Govt)
- McKinnon by Clark’s
- and Clark by Key’s
Only Bolger and Hunt appointed by their ‘own team’. So hard to argument people looking after their own, I suggest.
hard to argue people looking after their own
(When is the Edit button coming?)
Kudos to the steely leader Helen Clark who embarked New Zealand on the road to socialism (and serfdom).
deleted and into moderation with the Blowhole who on balance our team has decided needs to be on probation. Trevor
Phil, sorry, I never meant to infer that the appointments were parties looking after their own members, more that politicians as a whole seem to look kindly on bestowing honours on each other. I stand by the numbers, in fact with Helen Clark being appointed, they number 9!
If you are to break down the current appointees and their predominant area of recognition:
Hon Michael Duffy: Politics
Sir Shridath Ramphal: Politics
Right Honourable James Bolger: Politics
Right Honourable Michael Moore: Politics
Honourable Dame Catherine Anne Tizard: Politics
Right Honourable Jonathan Lucas Hunt: Politics
Honourable Sir Paul Alfred Reeves: Politics
Right Honourable Sir Donald Charles McKinnon: Politics
Right Honourable Helen Clark: Politics
Right Honourable Sir Arthur Owen Woodhouse: Judicial
Right Honourable Sir Kenneth James Keith: Judicial
Professor Christian Karlson Stead: Arts
Miss Margaret Mahy: Arts
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: Arts
Sir Miles Warren: Arts
Dr Cliff Whiting: Arts
Dame Miriam Dell: Women’s Rights
Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan: Maori Advocacy
His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Stafford Williams: Religion
Emeritus Professor Lloyd Geering: Religion
Lady Blundell: Charitable works
Sir Murray Gordon Halberg: Sport
Sir Brian James Lochore: Sport
Mr Ken Douglas: Business (Trade Unions)
Interestingly, of the 29 deceased members, only 4 were politicians!
Awwwww Come on Tiger, I’d never ban you or any other MP from my site. Plus I never use expletives here and generally keep on topic.
Not sure whats with Tiger blowhole – you aren’t banned just under close supervision.
I see, as I said earlier only one person has called me that before. Meaning changed a bit since then so I decline. Comment deleted. Trevor
Great news. Please don’t go towards his level. Balance deleted. Trevor
@Nathan.
That list is shocking. Genuinely shocking. Not a single scientist, engineer, business leader, industrialist, etc. Every single one is an employee of or in receipt of subsidy from the state.
Whaleoil- you have been stranded!!
LOL
Happy New Year Ghost. I wish I could’ve read those comments…
I’m genuinely curious to know what lefties think Helen Clark did to deserve her ONZ honour.
Just a list of bullet points of her top achievements will suffice.
Happy new year!
A well-deserved award to someone who has devoted decades to high public service nationally, and is now doing the same internationally. The churlish responses by some simply highlight their own pettiness.
What’s she done? Oh, I dunno, advanced the cause of women in the work place, led a government that created an environment in which New Zealand recorded the lowest levels of unemployment in New Zealand history, the highest level of women participating in the work place, the biggest improvements to health, education and law and order investment in New Zealand history. Led a government that created a place where our talent in arts and creative industries could be shown off to the world, a government that invested in people through working for families, kiwisave, paid parental leave, cheaper doctor’s visits.
That’s just where I’d start. Typically, people will say she didn’t do those things single-handedly, so in essence, her ONZ is not for politcs per sae, more perhaps a demonstration of some long lost leadership aspiration this country hadn’t seen since Fraser.
@kaine T Thank you kaine. In the 12 month period since the election we have witnessed the MSM and other commentators on a path of vitriol akin to the de-stalinisation of Russia – you have put so succinctly what an excellent Prime Minister Helen Clark proved to be. Of course there are many other features of her time as leader, but congratulations on the summary.
Note – either Reed or Ministry of Justice are one and the same, or one of them cannot think for himself…
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01012010-to-05012010/#comments
I’ve only just worked out what MSM meant… ha ha ha. Thanks logie… Some might say that of course I’d start with that list… be that as it may, a list is a list.
Good work logie97
@ kaine T
My congrats too for a succinct summary. No, Helen didn’t do it all on her own, but her leadership was the inspiration behind the many achievements of the Labour-led govt. She is an extraordinary woman whose place of honour in NZ history is assured for generations to come. Now we can watch her repeat the performance on the world stage where I have no doubt she will receive equal accolades for her international
leadership skills.
Not really a fan of Helen (she only did social democracy when down in the polls), but some of the nastiness she copped from the media (especially talkback), some of it for reasons that were clearly none of anyone’s business (her family arrangements, etc), were really unwarranted and made me ashamed to be a New Zealander.