Far be it for me to definitively diagnose Zac Guildford from afar, writes Chris Rattue, but a string of alcohol-related incidents indicate the young All Black has a serious problem with the firewater.

I am writing this lying in bed and staring out at the Hokianga Harbour in the Far North.

Vowing to "put everything into this", President Barack Obama has unveiled the most sweeping proposals in 20 years to tighten gun control in the United States.

The number of sole parents on the domestic purposes benefit dropped by 5000 last year - a drop Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is attributing partly to her new policy requiring sole parents to get jobs when their youngest child turns five.

Young New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders in Australia are turning to crime as they become trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair.

Editorial: A large number do not understand the consequences of not finding a job. They leave for Australia without realising they will not have access to most of that country's welfare safety net, including dole and disability payments.

A South Auckland woman watched in amazement as a couple burgled her neighbour's home while a young child sat waiting in their getaway car.

Are we still a nation of people who can catch a fish, roll up our sleeves and fix something broken or cook a leg of lamb?

Two earthquakes, the end of his marriage and loss of his recording studio later, the 30-year-old sound engineer identifies himself as Maori.

New Zealand has been ranked one of the world's best countries to be born in this year. Researchers named New Zealand the seventh most lucky nation in which to start life.

Pensioners are holding out in a dwindling minority opposing gay marriage - as 2013 looks possibly to be the year for it to become reality.

For more than three months he remained an unknown young African whose fatal decision to seek a better life in Europe ended with an 800m drop.

A gifted academic who grew up in Karori has died suddenly in London, devastating her family.

A Christmas story from an associate, who was in a Salvation Army op shop when a family - mum, dad, and three children - stopped by to drop off a new bike.

Early on the morning of May 12, 8-year-old Michelle O'Brien showed humanity, kindness, and selfless bravery when faced with the unthinkable.

Paying it forward - a popular expression for extending generosity to others after someone has been generous to you.

The wedding was a joyful affair, with 300 guests, traditional Serbian dancing and two dozen motorbikes bedecked with red, white and blue streamers.

Fuelled by the highest rate of unemployment in 13 years, the queues snaking along the pavements outside the Auckland City Mission have nothing festive about them.

Parents around the country should be given consistent advice about safe sleeping practices with their newborns.

This country offers me beaches and mountains and lakes to explore, with good roads and an adequate car, writes Peter Durney. Many people cannot even aspire to owning a car.

Editorial: The Nga Tangata Microfinance Trust in South Auckland seems to be providing a less businesslike but no less welcome solution for some of the indebted poor in this country.

A group of Auckland charities have quietly started lending money at zero interest rates to low-income families in a pilot project which may drive loan sharks out.

Women heading back into the workforce after a long break and worried they have nothing to wear to a job interview are getting a boost of confidence from the team at Dress for Success.

I'd like to see church ministers being proactive in curbing violence before it happens. It is good to see church ministers taking a positive step to curb violence.

Editorial: When the Children's Commissioner set up an "expert advisory group on solutions to child poverty" this year, many New Zealanders will have cheered.