A man abused as a ward of the state 25 years ago is incensed about the $12,000 compensation offer made to him, saying it feels 'like a kick in the guts'.

Tupua Urlich was just 17 when the state ended its care for him.

A spend of more than $360,000 on pay television subscriptions by Government departments has been criticised by Labour.

Some agencies are expected to close in a radical revamp of social service funding unveiled by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

An extra 3000 tenants will be entitled to the income-related rent subsidy under changes outlined in the Budget.

The income gap between children and the elderly has widened faster in New Zealand than in other developed countries during the recent recession, a new report shows.

More than 860 victims who were abused while in state care have been given the option of a fast-track settlement.

Hine felt the centre was not a good fit for her son, and that they didn't understand her culture. Her boy would cry every day when she dropped him off.

An 8-year-old Manurewa boy is one of 11,000 disabled children to lose a welfare benefit, even though his asthma is so bad that he missed one in every four school days.

The tragic events in the Winz office in Ashburton last September have resulted in action before the Courts. The obvious being the alleged offender facing multiple criminal charges, including murder.

Victims of the Ashburton Winz shooting and their families could be in line to receive payouts after one Crown agency prosecuted another.

If you want a state house with a view, forget it. Beautiful views are banned in a draft new Government policy. Double garages and decks are out, too.

An Auckland man could end up swapping his job at the Ministry of Social Development for a one-way ticket to Mars.

A review of security at the Ministry of Social Development, prompted by last year's deadly shooting at the Ashburton Work and Income office, has found tighter security would not have prevented the incident.

A tough new policy cracking down on beneficiaries with unresolved arrest warrants has resulted in the issuing of thousands of alerts.

The Families Commission is rebranding today taking a name which almost identical to that of a French supermarket chain.

Convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip John Smith swindled thousands of dollars from the taxpayer, using false documents when studying in prison.

A beneficiary has been awarded more than $20,000 after Housing New Zealand was found to have been over-collecting private information about him.

The Ministry of Social Development has signalled a need to “explore options relating to the age of eligibility” for NZ superannuation, and wants a review of benefit rates to tackle child poverty.

Nearly 100 jobs are set to go at Work and Income - but the government says even more new roles will be created.

Bill English's masterplan to radically "reform" the Labour-initiated, octogenarian state housing scheme has all the hallmarks of being ideological for ideology's sake.

A public servant is under investigation over allegations that he said beneficiaries were "stupid" for having children.

A further 3500 young people on welfare could have their spending tightly controlled by an adult supervisor if National is re-elected.

The Government is to extend its control of spending by young beneficiaries to all teen parents and many 18 and 19-year-olds.

A Hastings woman who died following an overdose made two calls to emergency helplines that went unanswered before her death.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has released plans to restore some incentives for solo parents who take up full-time study.