MP Paula Bennett is the first of the Beehive's power brokers to step out of their comfort zone - in her case, feeding the needy at a city mission - for the new series Make Your Politician Work. By Bevan Hurley.

A 14-month-old girl has died at the hands of her mother, who was seeking help for substance abuse.

Welfare agencies alarmed at extreme lengths some people go to just to eat. One desperate case of a Bay of Plenty child and his three siblings has been offered as a stark example of the degree of poverty in our communities.

Thousands of households could lose their eligibility for Working for Families tax credits from tomorrow, but companies and beneficiaries stand to gain as a raft of regulatory changes across government departments kicks in.

The Government's "it's not okay" campaign may be axed to free up funding for the new Whanau Ora programme.

Overwhelming offers of help for Christchurch are impeding the systems of non-government organisations trying to help there, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The police officer who misled officials over the number of unresolved child abuse cases in the Wairarapa has since been promoted.

A consortium of North Shore doctors has a radical proposal to use health professionals to help sickness and invalid beneficiaries back to work.

The IPCA has released the second part of its report into the handling of child abuse cases by police.

Major changes are on the way for public sector information technology.