Overbearing parents whose children are repeatedly bullied may be part of the problem, with new research showing kids miss out on social skills when parents are too protective.

In the lead-up to the elections, the Herald will examine all of the Super City's 13 wards, analysing the big issues and contests.

The first two Thai couples to book same-sex marriages in NZ have had to battle to get visitor permits from immigration officials who appear to have been suspicious about their 30-year age gaps.

A gay and lesbian support group in one of our most conservative institutions - the military - has won the supreme award in this year's Equal Employment Opportunities Trust diversity awards.

Once a blip on the national sports scene, baseball has grown its player base to about 6000. And its emergence has been funded entirely with gambling money.

Alicia sobs as she recalls the moment she realised her life had to change. She was spending up to 20 hours a week at the pokies, losing between $300 and $400.

Crusading doco-maker Bryan Bruce returns to TV screens this week to claim that New Zealand's middle class is subsidising the rich and the poor through a terrible tax burden.

Blake Skjellerup believes an All Black may have to declare his homosexuality before New Zealanders can fully stifle prejudice towards gay sportspeople.

Many are being subjected to horrendous abuse, threats and bullying while using the social networking site Ask.fm.

The head of New Zealand's third-largest church has asked its ministers to consider a temporary ban on gay marriages to preserve the church's "peace and unity".

Drivers of high-end vehicles are ruder than those who drive old bangers, according to a study.

Some of New Zealand's last surviving World War II veterans have joined a protest against plans by the new managers of Auckland's Ranfurly home to slash their caregivers' wages.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett often stands accused of taking a hard line on matters within her purview.

New measures to protect children from abusers are stronger and sharper than previous tepid responses.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says she will need some convincing over sweeping changes made in an effort to stop child abuse and death in New Zealand.

New rules for KiwiSaver subsidies to help people buy their first homes will help middle-class couples but will knock out lower-income families.

House price inflation creates no new output and few jobs. It consigns young first-home buyers to a life of debt servitude, writes Peter Lyons.

Churches have become corporate onshore tax havens which are subsidised by taxpayers so that the religious can pursue the supernatural, writes Max Wallace and Robert Nola.

"Be content with what you have". That's just one of the slogans on a mural at the Cannons Creek Four Square.

Hundreds of fatherless boys will benefit from a boosted mentoring programme.

Deliberate self-harming is reaching epidemic levels among Kiwi teenagers - but the teens say it has become "almost fashionable".

When politicians talk about making the labour market more flexible, it means ensuring that the demand and supply of labour determines the wage rate. writes Peter Lyons.

Students at one Auckland high school are not convinced drinking, smoking and drugs are as rare as an Auckland University survey suggests.

For decades, we've been told that if we worked hard and were patient, eventually the gender pay gap would close, writes Catriona McLennan.

Parents battling to get their children back from state foster care are being stymied by two-month delays to get hold of their official files, a lobby group says.

Just over half of voters support extending Working for Families in-work tax credits of at least $60 a week to beneficiaries.

"Our economy would be lost without these people," writes Michael Cox. Volunteering is big business. Over one million of us together contribute 270 million volunteer hours a year.