The impacts of the global financial crisis hit are ingrained in our communities.

A top Govt scientist says there is an "appalling" lack of information about synthetic cannabis products.

Natalie Portman has signed Freedom to Marry's Say, "I Do" letter to President Barack Obama asking for marriage equality for gay couples.

Someone who has done nothing but alienate large groups of teachers is a deadbeat choice for the job of Education Minister, says Dita De Boni.

An anguished father wants substances such as Kronic synthetic cannabis banned.

"There is always a solution to every human problem - neat, plausible and wrong," wrote H.L. Mencken.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is "a big fan" of long acting contraception for solo mums but says her Government is "not quite" at the stage of making it compulsory.

Rimutaka prison guard Johan Clarke has been jailed in what is believed to be the first time a corrections officer has been convicted of corruption charges.

The high profile coverage of Countdown's withdrawal from the Red Cross breakfast programme is a public relations nightmare.

Wellington Airport is putting its Wellywood sign plans on hold after a strong public backlash against the idea. It plans to form a panel to discuss other options for the site.

Teaching self-control to children as young as three can set them up for healthy, wealthy and crime-free lives.

It's the developing world, not the West, which now consumes most of the world's cigarettes.

When you have children, your whole life changes and you must try to defend your child from harm no matter what.

Every grandparent will know the electric charge that four of us experienced for the first time last Saturday.

It affects one in 20 people, can undermine their confidence and frequently leads to the embarrassment of counting on one's fingers.