Top 30 Jenny Shipley Quotes

I hear so many people talking about what’s wrong, whether it’s climate change or whatever, but so few say, ‘Well, look, we’ve got this problem, so let’s find the solution. Let’s find a scientist, let’s find politicians who are prepared to shape the future, or try and keep up with it.’

Every second, every day, every year, we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services. Lives are lost, and girls’ opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country‘s development shrink. These are real people.

What we need is to understand that women won‘t often apply for a job until they’re almost 95% qualified. So they tick the box and say, ‘If I can’t do it all, I can’t be qualified.’ Men look at the same job, and as long as they get to about 60%, they’ll apply.

Equality and development will not be achieved however if peace is not understood from women’s’ point of view.

Hollow commitments to action in the future are insufficient. Deferring difficult issues must not be tolerated. Our children and grandchildren expect us to speak and act decisively.

The decision by France to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific has destroyed this hope and raised a storm of protest at home, in the South Pacific and thankfully around the world.

In New Zealand, men and women would not take a party seriously if it did not have a good gender – and increasingly racial – mix. It’s not about being politically correct; it’s just who we are.

Shaping the future is what drives me. Since I left politics, I’m very much interested in emerging markets.

I am not a supporter of the rhetoric of, ‘Dear, dear, the toys have got lead paint.’ If I had a manufacturer in China that allowed that to happen, I’d fire them instantly.

The government‘s position was that we have frigates that have got a useful life until 2006. There is no necessity for us to make final decisions until 2002.

I was brought up in a family of leaders, and I think leadership is a life sentence. I like changing things that will shape the future.

The world has been gradually reducing its nuclear arsenals. Testing must stop so that progress on the destruction of nuclear weapons may begin.

Men are shameless in selling their story. Women are often reserved. So we do need to encourage women to know their story and then tell it strategically as to how they can add value.

The first day you‘re a leader is the beginning of the end of your political career.

By and large, women in New Zealand are fortunate compared with some other countries, including many in our own region. But there is still progress to be made.

New Zealand’s taken some very significant decisions in relation to defence in the last two years.

The Platform for Action gives due emphasis to the fact that women globally have continued to have insufficient access to the resources necessary to achieve economic independence.

The serious problems facing the world… will only be solved if women have a seat at the table and are listened to as to what is required. These issues will never be solved until women are able to use their full potential on behalf of themselves, their families and their global and local communities.

NGOs have a significant role to play, alongside governments, in improving the status of women.

When I hear people flatteringly say, ‘You’re an expert on East Asia…’ I’m certainly an observer of East Asia, and central Asia, and ASEAN, and to a lesser extent South Asia and the Gulf, but there’s always something behind the wall in China.

People often think that people like me don’t have ordinary lives. I have the greatest pleasure, and in fact, the greatest success in my career is having been a mother.

Chinese people as consumers, while they’ve always valued food and beverage for the health food qualities, they are also now wanting it in terms of other values: ‘Does this speak about my position in society? Am I now middle-class, and does this matter to me?’

It is important to remember that the Pacific Ocean covers a quarter of the world’s surface and that each Pacific country has its own cultural, historical and ethnic identity.

The Pacific had great hope that when the former President Mitered decided to halt nuclear testing, we had put behind us the issue of nuclear states testing their weapons in our Pacific region.

On many occasions New Zealand has spoken about the need to ensure that women’s concerns are fully integrated into all aspects of the United Nations‘ activities and structures, not marginalised in one part of the Secretariat.

Peace is a fragile thing. It takes courage to secure it. It takes wisdom to maintain it.

The serious problems facing the world today will never be solved until women are able to use their full potential on behalf of themselves, their families, and their global and local communities, as the World Bank and others have discovered.

I can’t for the life of me see that by being permissive you actually assist anyone.

The Open Skies issue is something that’s ongoing and we understand that there are issues in Australia that need to be sorted out. It’s something that I think over time there’s an opportunity for us and we’ll work on that in a progressive way.

With the adoption of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the international community sent out a clear message that gender based violence will not be tolerated.