All the measures of child poverty are pointing in the wrong direction, writes Susan St John.

A third of people in need of food parcels this Christmas are new, showing a "reflection of the child poverty stats".

The goal of a positive start for every child is achievable if we recognise its importance, support it, set our minds to it, writes Graeme MacCormick.

Again this year, I can say we are seeing the longest queues the City Mission has ever seen and that we will hand out the highest number of food parcels given to families, writes Dianne Robertson.

The child poverty crisis in Aotearoa is serious, writes Sue Bradford. No nice words or fancy messaging can alter the fact that until power is confronted and very different jobs, welfare and housing policies set in place, nothing will change.

When money is tight, we may need to make trade-offs to make this investment in our children and our future, writes Dr Russell Wills. What are we prepared to give up, so that Govt can prioritise children?

The latest report tells us 29 per cent of children lived in poverty in 2014, up from 24 per cent the previous year. About 14 per cent live in material hardship, lacking several of the items most New Zealanders would consider essential.

The number of NZ children living in households earning below 60 per cent of the median household income has almost doubled.

There is a growing impetus in some countries to consider providing everyone with a fixed sum of money that would help address basic needs such as food and housing, writes Richard McLachlan.

At least one family every three days is now seeking housing help across Auckland because their only place to live is a car.

Tough allocation criteria make it near-impossible for most people to even get on the state house waiting lists. The private rental market is a tough place to enter when you're down and out, writes Sue Bradford.

Children at schools in poor areas are still lagging far behind their wealthy peers, with rising pass rates making but a small dent in the achievement gap, latest data shows.

1215 rhinos were killed last year.This year, 749 rhinos were known to have been poached.

Nobel prize winning economist looks at how trying to help poor countries hurts them.

Up isn't down, black isn't white, and higher taxes on the rich don't do nothing about inequality, writes Matt O'Brien.

The CYF review panel recommends a child-centred system, "where the voices and needs of children and young people are at the forefront of everything the agency does".

The number of people living in extreme poverty is set to fall to the lowest on record, according to the World Bank.

The idea of Serco being responsible for a pipeline guiding children through their lives from cradle to grave - from CYF to prison - sounds like something from a dystopian novel, writes Richard Wagstaff.

It is extremely difficult to improve peoples' behaviour towards the environment, when their basic needs are not being met, writes Sam Judd.

The Government's 2015 Budget had at its centerpiece a push towards "compassionate conservatism", writes Michael Timmins. While more compassion is indeed welcome, the end result is mere tokenism.

Fixing child abuse and neglect is all about building relationships with families in need, social workers say.

Wherever you draw the line, too many children are going without, writes Brian Fallow.

Why don't Auckland councillors jump on a bus and take a study trip south to the People's Project's Garden Place headquarters in Hamilton, asks Brian Rudman.

The number of Kiwi children in relative poverty has jumped over 300,000 for the first time since 2010 - but it's because of record inequality, despite falling absolute hardship.

I'd like to see the Conservation Minister visit the sub-Antarctic region, perhaps for her Christmas holidays, writes Paul Charman.

Forget the hikoi and library training, the answer the council needs is in Utah - and it's quite straightforward, writes Brian Rudman.

For one 17-year-old living rough on West Auckland streets, snuggling up to her boyfriend was the one way she kept warm at night.

Meridian Energy has joined with charity KidsCan to raise awareness of child poverty in NZ and help to provide food, clothing and basic healthcare.