Labour and the unions have cried foul over the appointment of MP Jackie Blue as the new Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner.

Dame Susan Devoy admits it will "take time to understand a Maori viewpoint" - and promises her actions as Race Relations Commissioner will speak louder than her words.

Does equality require same sex marriage? Vote and have your say. Gay unions are inherently different, writes one contributor, while another argues that all love deserves respect.

New Zealand could play a role in repealing Papua New Guinean sorcery legislation following an Easter "witch-hunt", Amnesty International says.

A victim advocacy group is refusing to remove the name and photo of a convicted paedophile from its website despite an accusation by the Human Rights Commission.

The advice from the front office at East Side High in Cleveland, Mississippi, is clear

His upbeat oratory reflected his country's innate optimism, despite the turbulence of the times.

The Universe is 13.82 billion years old, give or take 20 million years. This was established from precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background.

The reaction to the appointment of Susan Devoy as the new Race Relations Commissioner demonstrates NZ's sensitivity on Maori issues, writes Bryce Edwards.

Join us as we follow tonight's online debate on Louisa Wall's marriage equality bill.

In a bid to combat homophobia, a new ad campaign has been launched in Quebec asking readers "How open are you?"

Three prison guards in Fiji have been sacked over a video of detainees being beaten and tortured.

After months of emotional submissions and some bitter protest, a bill to legalise same-sex marriage appears likely to pass another hurdle.

A Grey Power official's complaints about immigration have been labelled uninformed, but the group's central Auckland president says they reflect the feeling of many elderly.

The government administration select committee report to Parliament recommends the passing of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill with certain amendments.

Parliament will be asked to condemn the brutal beating and torture of Fijian prisoners, which Fiji's Prime Minister is standing by.

Prime Minister John Key says a video of Fijian men apparently being beaten is "alarming and concerning" and it will be raised with the Fiji government.

Amnesty International is investigating a graphic video posted on the internet, which show men being beaten and tortured in Fiji.

The challenge for those in this discussion is to acknowledge and respect the values of others and to be courageous and generous in love, writes Russell Hoban.

Photographs have emerged which raise fresh questions about the conduct of Sri Lanka's armed forces during the final stages of the operation against Tamil rebels.

The return of a Pride Parade to Auckland has been declared a fabulous success.

Auckland Muslim Jason Kennedy penned this open letter to New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser after his controversial column about Muslims made headlines.

Prices would have to go up by 6 to 8 per cent to pay a "living wage" of $18.40 an hour to workers in the lowest-paid sectors - hospitality and retailing.

I loved the fact that Auckland had hotels in the 1930s that catered to the gay trade where you could rent a room and share a bed with your same-sex partner.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will not meet a West Papuan freedom fighter who was refused a public forum at Parliament.

A leading human rights lawyer yesterday hit out at a decision banning a West Papua independence activist from speaking at Parliament.

"Is NZ's relationship with Indonesia so lacking that it could not tolerate a West Papuan independence activist speaking at a lunch-hour meeting?" asks John Armstrong.