Michele Hewitson: Iron in her spine

Helen Clark former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Photo / The Listener

I missed the first part - The Road to Power - of TV3's two-part Helen Clark documentary because there was a muddle-up with the DVDs. The first sent turned out to be an episode of NZ's Hottest Home Baker which was quite funny, really. Helen in a pinny, whipping up a batch of cupcakes? The mind boggled.

The second was blank. Having spent some long hours of my life attempting to interview the former PM and failing to so much as crack the carapace, this seemed about right. It is the sort of thing (a cock-up by a critic) that might cause Clark to let loose one of her little chuckles and how strange to hear that laugh again.

She left politics (or New Zealand politics; no doubt the UN is rife with the stuff) in 2008 after three terms, when Labour lost the election. She stood down as leader and from her Mt Albert electorate on the night - to tears and expressions of dismay from the party faithful.

"No," they cried. "Yes," she said as firmly, and as firmly in control of her career and destiny in loss as in previous victories.

We saw all of this again in the second part of what was (from the viewing of said second part: Hard Labour) a solid and decent documentary offering.

What is the right period of time to wait to undertake a substantial overview of a departed PM?

It seems both just the other day that Clark led the country, and a very long time ago. She has resolutely refused to look back - catchphrase: Move on - and she is perhaps not by nature a reflective person. So the makers of this two-parter have done well to get her to do so - on a political level, at least.

"It's over and out from me," she said on the night of the 2008 election. But she never quite goes away from this "little country"; and we have not quite lost our fascination with her (at least I haven't, so I am a target audience.) She was described as our most hated and most loved PM. Can that be true? I don't know how you judge such a thing.

The most interesting insight came from Winston Peters and, of course, it wasn't so much about Clark as about him. We saw again the infamous NO sign - his response to questions in 2008 about whether he knew about a $100,000 donation from Owen Glenn.

"Got that?" he said then. Now he says: "If I had just smiled and not got angry, I think we'd have made it home." Well! I fell off the couch. Did I hear that right? Yes, or possibly NO. It's hard to be sure when you are concussed.

Only Winston could manage to steal the show even when the show's not about him.

There was little competition when it came to owning up to mistakes. Paintergate? "What did it amount to?" she said, and likely will always say.

Clark's father told a nice story about hearing a stewardess saying: "There's the PM!" And he thought: "She's just my little girl, isn't she!" (She told me last year that she phones him every night, no matter where she is. So: YES.)

Michael Cullen said: "You could get into trouble with Helen, as everyone knows."

Everyone does know, so what does making a documentary now about her add?

I'm still not sure, but it was well-made and interesting and either a good start in evaluating her place in history, or about as much as we'll ever know.

I did enjoy watching her in action again. She is without peer for the precisely aimed arrow, the withering comment, delivered through her charmingly crooked smile.

She spoke about the decisions she's made to go forth and help the poor people of the world.

"Other people might make different choices ... To make a lot of money. That hasn't been a motivation for me."

A reminder then, of what a great politician she was, and remains.

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- TimeOut