Clark passes on recipe for rising

Helen Clark

Want to be the Prime Minister? The real one had some advice for students in Gisborne yesterday - life-long learning and lots of patience.

Helen Clark and Labour Minister Steve Maharey were at Gisborne Girls High to open a classroom and announce an expansion of the fledgling Youth Transitions Service to the whole country in Labour's next term.

While Helen Clark was talking to senior students, head girl Holly Donnelly asked her what subjects they should take if they were interested in the top job.

Relishing the question, the Prime Minister replied that "you have to be someone who's interested in a lot of things".

She said you also needed to take learning as far as possible, noting that this issues had become more complex over the years.

Getting to be Prime Minister had also involved "many small steps" over a long time. From 1971, when she first joined the Labour Party, it had taken 28 years to reach the top, she said.

All through that time, she had been learning.

"Think about learning for life," was her advice.

Labour's promise to expand the Youth Transitions Service would double its cost from $9 million to $18 million and see it expand from 14 locations to all regions nationwide.

The service helps young people to access career training, job hunting advice and information on education opportunities, making sure they do not fall through the cracks after leaving school.

Helen Clark yesterday also visited the Gisborne factory of English Cottage Furniture Restoration, where she met owner Jason Akuhata-Brown and his 2-year-old son, Niko.