Former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley has reviewed her stance on quotas - and now says they're the only way to address a lack of women business leaders.

Dame Jenny thinks New Zealand once led the way in the corporate world - but now reckons we're falling behind.

Three quarters of our listed companies have no women on their boards, and there's only one female chief executive among our large public companies.

Dame Jenny said we need to set some goals and targets, but if they aren't achieved a future government may need to step in.

"I'm not a compulsive or compulsory leant person - but for the first time in my career, I think it's so important for the New Zealand economy to fill that gap out," Dame Jenny said.

These days, the former PM is chair of Global Women NZ and helps prepare women to be directors and chief executives - and boards to have them.