Fixing child abuse and neglect is all about building relationships with families in need, social workers say.

Should you walk up the elevator to help quicken everyone's journey, or remain still to keep everything orderly?

We demand action. But equally we should be dispassionate and rational in demanding measures that seek to prevent these things occurring, writes Jarrod Gilbert.

Jacob Lewis found himself on the streets and struggling to afford food. Now he's studying law at prestigious university.

A $25 increase in welfare payments will be cancelled out by new obligations for parents to return to work sooner and for longer hours, advocacy groups say.

I saw a pregnant lady on the bus offer her seat to an elderly lady. Meanwhile, college teenagers were going about their conversations.

Lorde has expressed her support for a lunch delivery program that helps our most vulnerable Kiwi kids.

Welfare rolls have increased for the first time in a June quarter since 2010, confirming other signs of that New Zealand's economic growth is slowing.

An Australian model has issued a warning to women about a self-proclaimed fashion designer who allegedly groped, harassed and exploited models.

WATCH: Why this Auckland couple purposefully abandoned their four-bedroom house in Auckland and took to the streets...and why they prefer this lifestyle.

A man abused as a ward of the state 25 years ago is incensed about the $12,000 compensation offer made to him, saying it feels 'like a kick in the guts'.

Just over two years ago, Housing Minister Nick Smith announced that "this year" the Government was developing a housing warrant of fitness, writes Brian Rudman.

You'd be surprised just how hard it is to find a family willing to let a Herald writer snoop around their home and ask all sorts of intrusive questions about their substandard living conditions, writes Peter Calder.

Cold, damp housing is a significant issue facing children, with a paediatrician calling for more to be done to change the culture of accepting unfit houses.

Children are more likely to be in material hardship relative to the rest of the population in New Zealand than in any European country.

A bill aiming to give financial parity between the carers of foster children and children raised by their grandparents was passed in Parliament tonight but it wont take effect until 2018.

One of New Zealand’s most experienced private investigators offers advice on how to deal with stalkers.

The Children's Commissioner wants a rethink of universal services so more public spending can go to the neediest families.

As a young boy, Daryl Brougham thought his name was Daryl Foster. He lived in at least 24 foster homes until the age of 18.

Some regions will "fail" economically and perhaps socially unless we help them to adjust, the Salvation Army says.

Police have asked welfare staff to look into the case of a mother who was allegedly drunk when she dropped her child at school.

More than 860 victims who were abused while in state care have been given the option of a fast-track settlement.

The petition comes as the Salvation Army said it fed 9.5 per cent more people last year in its Midland region than it did in the year before.

Lauren Knight recalls the night police visited her house after an anonymous bystander wrongly reported her for slapping her children.

A major shift to more voucher-type funding of social services, including health and education, is proposed in a new official report.

A controversial anti-vaccination organisation has come under fire for comparing compulsory vaccination to rape in a social media post.

The This Doesn't Mean Yes campaign is tackling the insidious myth of women 'asking for it' through clothing or behaviour.

New welfare benefit figures confirm that New Zealand is splitting into two: Auckland and Christchurch, and everywhere else.

A cafe owner in the US who was 'heartbroken' to discover a homeless person was searching her rubbish for food has put up a sign inviting them to come inside for a free meal.