An Indian IT worker wonders if it was racism that made a bouncer stop him and his friends from entering a bar at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour on New Year's Eve.

If ... parents had introduced children to newspapers ... rather than addiction to idiotic texting, they would be addicted to the world, writes Bob Jones.

Most societies are hard on their youth, writes Peter Lyons.

So, rich fulla, enjoy your throbbing car, but also be aware that not being a dickhead takes constant, painstaking, vigilant effort, writes Deborah Hill Cone. Also: don't drive through zebra crossings.

Australian, Queensland and Broncos league star Sam Thaiday is lending his weight to fundraising efforts for a charity helping at-risk South Auckland teenagers.

Next year is election year and all the parties have an opportunity to show us their commitment to children, writes Russell Wills, Children's Commissioner.

The measurement of child poverty is complex, hard to understand and has become a highly polarised matter, says John Dew.

As a teenager, there is a huge pressure to accept the cool pragmatism of "this is how it is" when it comes to binge drinking, writes Verity Johnson.

Minister rejects 'nanny state' intervention as health survey shows NZ is getting fatter, with three in every 10 adults now regarded as obese.

Our house prices are high, our wages are low - so why is the world coming home to New Zealand?

A return to South Africa triggers deep thoughts - can one person have two homelands?

The Prime Minister's reaction to the latest survey of child poverty was predictable but misguided. It is not just about jobs.

In a UK first, shoppers in South Yorkshire are being offered food at up to 70 per cent of normal prices - but they have to prove they're on benefits to get the bargains.

Almost three-quarters of the depressed Kiwis who have gone to Sir John Kirwan's website depression.org.nz are no longer depressed after finishing the six lessons.

It would take 19 median incomes in Auckland to buy a home for the city's median house price, a Herald analysis has found.

Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills wants Kiwis to shift support from older, middle-income families to give more to our youngest and poorest children.

In the eyes of the law, he is a criminal. But to many he is a hero, dubbed the "Robin Hood" of their struggling community.

The United Nations children's fund Unicef says children should have a say when they are adopted and when their parents separate.

Extended paid parental leave and a mandatory rental housing "warrant of fitness" are close to winning majority backing, a survey of MPs has found.

Our latest batch of citizens are embracing the multicultural nature of the country they now call home.

An empty holiday season can hold painful memories of partners lost and families gone, writes Russell Hoban.

Dogs which provide vital assistance to people with disabilities will be fitted with identification tags so they can easily be reunited with their owners in emergencies.

"Stalking" potential dates online and ending a relationship via email are becoming dating norms for Australasian women, according to a snapshot of online activity here.

Being a mother sometimes feels like I'm carrying a donkey, writes Deborah Hill Cone.

Here are a sample of readers' emails in response to our series on rest homes.