Favourites emerge in poll for greatest living Kiwi

New Zealand's first elected woman Prime Minister and one of its greatest war heroes are leading the race to be named greatest living New Zealander.

Twenty-three per cent of nearly 10,000 readers voting on an nzherald.co.nz poll have plumped for Helen Clark, with 21 per cent opting for VC winner, Corporal Willie Apiata.

Olympic medallist and philanthropist Sir Murray Halberg (12 per cent) and Lord of the Rings film director Peter Jackson (11 per cent) are the best of the rest.

The Herald undertook the poll to commemorate the one-year anniversary earlier this month of Sir Edmund Hillary's death. The other nominated Kiwis are sportsmen Colin Meads and Peter Snell (9 per cent each), businessmen Peter Leitch (4 per cent) and Stephen Tindall (3 per cent), WWII spy Nancy Wake (6 per cent) and Louise Nicholas (3 per cent).

But it seems not everyone agrees with the Herald's list of nominees.

Former Reserve Bank Governor and National Party leader Don Brash wrote to the Herald last week, imploring that Act MP Sir Roger Douglas be considered for the honour.

Dr Brash said Douglas "did more to transform the New Zealand economy for the better than any other New Zealander".