Dylan Thorne: Clark's UN bid inspires

Helen Clark.

Helen Clark's bid for the UN's top job took a hit this week after it was reported that she had slipped to seventh out of the 11 candidates.

She now faces an uphill battle to secure the secretary-general role and is most likely weighing up whether she should continue her campaign.

Ms Clark hinted in a tweet she would be reconsidering her candidacy: "Disappointed by outcome. Will discuss over coming days."

Prime Minister John Key says a block of votes were piling up against her because they wanted the rotation system to be preserved and they want an Eastern European in the role.

On top of that, New Zealand also has the challenge of coming from a region that has a smaller number of voters than Europe.

I hope she decides to continue her campaign - though the odds appear to be against her.

I'm also pleased the Government will continue to support her campaign because it's a rare opportunity for a Kiwi to have a global impact.

Whoever wins the position will have more than 40,000 staff and wield international influence. The fact that Ms Clark is in a position to contest the role is a feat in itself.

Early in the campaign she was described as a serious contender by the Guardian newspaper.

As prime minister from 1999 to 2008, she was a strong, considered and decisive leader, attributes that would place her in good stead for the role, as does her recent work for the UN.

Unfortunately, it looks like these alone will not win. Whatever the result, she has again displayed her belief that there is no limit to what we Kiwis can achieve.