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.

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

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.

Children's Commissioner, Dr Russell Wills, wants motorists, the well-off and the elderly to take less from taxpayers so that more public funding can go into tackling child poverty.

Many unsavoury events that have occurred in New Zealand over the past few decades can be attributed to our faith that free markets, writes Peter Lyons.

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.

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.

When we look at Nelson Mandela's legacy as South Africa's post-apartheid leader, we must acknowledge serious failings, writes John Minto.

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

A new report on child poverty in New Zealand has been applauded by groups who have criticised the Government for failing to thoroughly monitor the issue itself.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

The Human Rights Commission is calling for a star-rating system that would expose poorly performing rest homes to help families avoid them.

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

A former rest home manager is calling for better care for the elderly after her father was "starved of food and fluid" in a Whakatane centre.

A rest home company which was overcharging some residents is about to have its district health board contract terminated.