New Zealand prime minister set to retain office

NEW ZEALAND premier Helen Clark appears poised to win another term in office in today's general election. The Labour leader says being prime minister is "the best job I've had" and opinion polls point to her keeping the post.

A former academic, Clark has kept her popularity with voters despite her dour image and a recent scandal where she signed a painting by somebody else and sold it as her own work at a charity auction.

Even unease expressed by allies like Australia, the US and Britain at Clark’s decision to scrap the air force’s strike wing of fighter jets has failed to dent her popularity.