The Labour Party is by no means alone in worrying what to do about 74,000 young people who are in neither employment, education or training.

Labour has hit out at criticism of its costings for a new policy to give unemployed youths up to six months of fulltime community work at the minimum wage.

Sir Michael Cullen has returned to the Labour fold after eight years of self-imposed exile as a Government appointee to NZ Post.

Andrew Little has used his speech at the party conference to rev up delegates and outline new jobs policy.

Labour has proposed a raft of changes including allowing beneficiaries to do voluntary work instead of looking for a paid job and removing work testing for single parents.

The Government spent hundreds of thousands on Helen Clark's UN bid, including fees for Washington lobbyists.

On the eve of the annual Labour party conference, Claire Trevett looks at the party's battle plan to to take back Auckland in 2017.

Labour needs to show Auckland and the country it has the makings of a fresh, modern government.

Greens, a tightwad Mayor and fleshpots were on offer at opening of the Labour Party conference.

A snapshot of the political career of former Labour leader David Cunliffe, who has announced he will retire in 2017.

Former Labour Leader David Cunliffe is leaving Parliament.

National's Steven Joyce was criticised for 'pork barrel politics' during the Northland by-election. Now he's hitting out at Labour for the same over its $680m Mt Roskill light rail pledge.

COMMENT: Every week in politics makes a difference but between now and Christmas will be a crucial two months for Labour and Andrew Little.

Housing New Zealand says it has only evicted five tenants from state houses on the grounds that their homes were contaminated by methamphetamine.

Who's winning the "class struggle" between business and workers?

Former MPs and their spouses racked up $703,000 on taxpayer-funded travel in the past year, including nearly $25,000 by some couples.

COMMENT: If Labour wins the the byelection no one will notice. There will not be a ripple. If they lose, there will be a political tsunami.

Labour MP David Shearer says Government's decision not to meet pro-democracy advocates from Hong Kong following pressure from China is "a bad look".

A raft of changes to safety rules for swimming pools will save lives, the Government says - but some are not convinced.

Fewer police foot patrols have been done in Whanganui during the last year - but that's not why some crime figures are up, acting

Chronically ill former Carterton mayor and Wairarapa MP Georgina Beyer has set her sights on returning to Wairarapa - dead or alive.

The Government has been accused of gutting a major longitudinal study tracking the experiences of kids growing up in New Zealand, after a funding cut resulted in the number of its participants being slashed by two thirds.

Labour leader Andrew Little gets a mention in the latest batch of hacked emails from Hillary Clinton staff.

The knives are out in the National Party after the centre-right's disastrous result at last weekend's local elections in Auckland.

One in seven houses sold in Auckland are being bought by people who already own five or more properties.

Tributes are pouring in for the former head of the Council of Trade Unions who died this morning after a battle with lung cancer.

Telecommunications companies are concerned about a proposal which will allow companies to volunteer suspicious information about their customers to spying agencies.

The Government's state housing agency is set to run out of money by February, ministers have been warned.

Labour and National are in a war of words about how many homes have been sold in Auckland to first home-buyers.