Pride of New Zealand.docVIP

Pride of New Zealand 　　Reported by Gu Hui Translated by Niu Shuangmei 　　Helen Elizabeth Clark was born into a farming family in New Zealand on February 26， 1950. Having been a lecturer in political studies at Auckland from 1973 to 1981， Clark was elected into the New Zealand House of Representatives for the first time in the 1981 general election. She became Minister of Health in January， 1989 and Minister of Labor and Deputy Prime Minister in August in the same year. Then she had her 9-year premiership from 1999 to 2008. Since 2008 till now， she has been the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. 　　Helen Clark， one of the longest-serving prime ministers in the world， has been considered as the greatest politician in the history of New Zealand and the pride of New Zealand. She was awarded a title of the Greatest Living New Zealander and the Order of New Zealand， the highest honour in New Zealands honours system. She is now the Administrator of United Nations Development Program. 　　A Powerful Stateswoman 　　Having served three consecutive terms of Prime Minister of New Zealand， Clark is considered as a decisive and able stateswoman. In an interview， she said diligence， constraint， tolerance and affection should be what it takes to be a good leader in the 21st century. She maintained that women with political ambitions should defy the traditional bias against women and fear no rumors whatsoever so as to realize their political dreams. 　　Clark is also a maverick in the political world and never stops practicing her political views： New Zealand should leave the Commonwealth of Nations. In February， 2002， when the British Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand， she surprised all by showing up in causal dress， grabbing the headline of the world media for a long time. 　　With her gracious make-up and chic wear though， Clark never hides her tough side， which is part of her unique leadership skills. 　　Clark was famous for her eloquence and sharp wit