Good policies require good information, not prejudices and ill-informed judgments expressed from the sideline, writes Michael O'Brien.

"Paula Bennett is right when she says poverty isn't an excuse for child abuse," writes Tapu Misa. "There is no excuse for child abuse."

A Wairarapa school will be closed for its first day of term today so its pupils can attend the funeral of a 10-year-old schoolmate killed in a quad bike crash.

A conservative Christian lived an an 'undercover' gay man for a year, after his beliefs were challenged. So what did he discover?

A Green MP says his bill to reform adoption law is much broader than gay adoption and will provide a much needed overhaul, including open adoptions.

A key recommendation in the landmark coroner's finding into the Kahui twins' deaths has been ignored by the Government in its child abuse white paper.

A database of about 30,000 "at risk" children is to be created and accessed by government workers without parental knowledge as part of an overhaul of laws tackling child cruelty.

The proposed new multi-agency plans for each child, backed by an IT system accessible by all agencies, should have been set up years ago, writes Simon Collins.

Two of New Zealand's top children's doctors are proposing an increase in the state pension age to pay for more services to stop child abuse.

Successive governments have failed utterly to deal with child poverty but now is the perfect time for local Auckland communities to work together, writes Catriona MacLennan.

Jonathan Boston exposes three popular 'myths' about the current levels of child poverty in New Zealand, including that it is all the fault of the parents involved.

Food programmes for hungry Kiwi schoolchildren may soon get a boost from the Government to top off an overwhelming public response to recent media appeals.

Disabled hunger striker Sam Kuha is hoping to meet Social Development Minister Paula Bennett in Auckland tomorrow.

Good teachers matter, but the problem with conflating education and poverty is that the focus can narrow unhelpfully on one piece of the puzzle, writes Tapu Misa.

More than 1400 New Zealanders attempted to make do with only $2.25 worth of food and drink for each of five days.

Sexual assaults by players and supporters in last year's Rugby World Cup helped set a new record for assaults on women reported to an Auckland sexual abuse service.

A Putaruru school serving up compulsory breakfasts and hot lunches for just $1 a meal says the benefits are showing in students' dental records.