The Govt says it's on track to reach all 10 of its public-sector targets on welfare, crime and health - but admits there could be some "bumps" on the way.

Auckland Council commissioners who want to ban begging have lost the plot. They do not recognise that no one wants to beg. We live in a society that encourages winners to take all and beggars to take what they can get.

When did this country become so mean? Did it begin in the 1980s, when greed became good and success became more about what you had than the sort of person you were?

Mick Brown is the little boy lost saved by a loving foster family, who went on to spend his adult life giving back.

About one in six Australians cannot afford to rent a home, with young families - especially single parents with children - among the worst affected, new reports show.

Instead of recriminalising begging, a better guide is the Homeless Action Plan the old Auckland City Council initiated in 2005, writes Brian Rudman.

A publisher was "gobsmacked" to receive a complaint about using a Maori greeting in an email to a prospective client.

It's not just beggars who are coming in for attention - the Auckland Council is also considering changes to the rules around charity collectors, who approach people on city streets asking for donations.

Sixty per cent of parents of Kiwi preschoolers are concerned at the amount of TV advertising targeting their children, a study has found.

A crackdown on beggars in Auckland has the support of police, who believe it could reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

I go and help my 5-year-old son with his storywriting at school a couple of mornings a week which means sitting in on mat time.

New Zealand principals have been warned they could breach the Human Rights Act if they stop students taking same-sex partners to their school balls.

Like most young people, Travers Brown wants his independence.

Let's not judge her before we know her and even when we think we know her, let's focus on the results, writes Gregory Fortuin.

The number of abortions performed has fallen to its lowest rate in almost 20 years,

Diners who only watched as Nigella Lawson was assaulted were probably influenced by the "bystander effect" - and it's at play daily in NZ.

Dearest tourist and foreign investor: welcome to New Zeabrand.

Sex education is promoting sexual behaviour among young people and not showing all the risks, a new report claims.

Migrant employers who exploit foreign workers could face deportation under a law change proposed by Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse.

Two former All Blacks have condemned three fans who yelled homophobic slurs at a test match, while a gay-friendly rugby team has thanked the woman who confronted them.

Rugby fans have got in behind the woman who stood up to the use of homophobic slurs at an All Black test - although some believe she is just being oversensitive.

A young woman who asked three All Blacks fans at Eden Park not to use homophobic slurs was told by the men that "it's just part of the game".

When Sir Owen Glenn announced he would finance an inquiry into child abuse and domestic violence, it was hard to know what he expected from the exercise.