Helen Clark: World's issues are spelled out (+ video)

WARM WELCOME: The guest of honour at the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise charity event, An Evening with Helen Clark. PHOTO/BEN FRASER 130814BF13

Rotorua residents had the rare opportunity to hear one of the world's most highly achieving women speak in their home town.

An Evening with Helen Clark, presented by Rotary Rotorua Sunrise in association with Spark Business Hub Rotorua, was held last night at the Civic Theatre.

The room was packed with hundreds of locals interested to hear the Development Programme administrator's take on global issues tackled by the United Nations.

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick introduced Miss Clark, saying: "Helen's position in the United Nations has given her the scope to pursue her passion for a better world. I wasn't surprised to see where she ended up."

Mrs Chadwick said the event was an inaugural speaker forum and she hoped to make it an annual event.

Miss Clark talked on issues around women's rights, species protection, energy, sustainability, infant and mother mortality rates and global poverty.

She said many of the problems society faced were interdependent and could not be solved on their own.

"Take a look at sustainability, we cannot save the forest without first dealing with poverty and energy issues.

"Many of our forests are cut down as a result of other global problems," Miss Clark said.