Fuelled by the highest rate of unemployment in 13 years, the queues snaking along the pavements outside the Auckland City Mission have nothing festive about them.

If you haven't sorted your Xmas selections yet you may be starting to panic about finding the perfect present for each person on your list. Go easy on yourself by simply buying a gift set.

Christmas can be one of the most dreaded times for women and children affected by domestic violence.

Doris and Jose Aponte arrived in Auckland on Monday with daughter Dorica, tired from their long flight but delighted to see Dorica's sister Alex.

Performing school productions and shows in front of their home town has always been something youngsters in Queenstown have loved to do.

Okay, woohoo! We're into the last shopping week before Christmas, but I'm not panicking, I've been pretty well organised this year. Online shopping is a marvellous thing.

Kiwis have been waiting more than a month for overseas parcels containing Christmas presents, as mail authorities here question who is to blame.

Kiwis are flocking to the shops to stock up for Christmas, with eftpos spending up on last year. Westfield spokeswoman Deb McGhie said it appeared shopping centres were busier this year than last - though they wouldn't know for sure until next year

This will be my last column before the end of the world. With that in mind, I've decided to divide this one up into three sections.

Sheila Hussona's family set up foil balloons to welcome family flying in from Qatar at the weekend.

Women heading back into the workforce after a long break and worried they have nothing to wear to a job interview are getting a boost of confidence from the team at Dress for Success.

Kiwis will be able to fire up the barbecues and set up the cricket sets this Christmas, with sunny weather forecast for much of the country. WeatherWatch.co.nz has today released its Chrismas Day forecast, which predicts high temperatures and sunshine

Serves 12. 1 ripe pomegranate. 2 fresh papaya (paw paw), nice and ripe. 9 kiwifruit peeled and thickly sliced. 1 pineapple, cut into 1cm chunks. Trifle sponge, bought or made.