Helen Clark believes she was unsuccessful in her bid to become Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) because the system is rigged against women.
The former Prime Minister of New Zealand made the comments while promoting My Year With Helen, a documentary by Gaylene Preston, which is returning to cinemas soon.
Ms Clark said that while she was proud of all her achievements, including those at the UN, sexism in the organisation meant she never had a chance of landing the top job, regardless of how qualified she was.
"Well it wasn't a fair fight," she said.