New ZealandWelfare cuts for almost 100 fugitivesNearly 100 beneficiaries on the run from police have had their welfare cut in the six weeks since the policy was introduced, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.24 Sep 04:36 AM
OpinionRodney Hide: PC approach obscures factsLet's start with the numbers. They aren't mine. They come from a recently published Ministry of Social Development "factsheet".07 Sep 05:30 PM
New Zealand$274k fraudster's bizarre explanationA caregiver who admitted defrauding the benefit system of more than $274,000 says she did it because she "believed that she was two separate people".21 Aug 03:37 AM
New ZealandVoters support extension of tax creditsJust over half of voters support extending Working for Families in-work tax credits of at least $60 a week to beneficiaries.29 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandToo old for CYF to care?When Robin Vinod turned 17, he couldn't sign a tenancy agreement or be responsible for bills - but that was when CYF left him to fend for himself.23 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandBeggar my neighbourWe don't really see the street. Most of us don't even look. Kids look, as I'm about to find out, but we adults, most of us walk on by, our attention fixed on anything other than that dude over there19 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandGovt finds 3000 dole 'cheaters'The Government claims it has detected thousands of welfare fraudsters, though Labour is questioning how many have actually committed fraud.18 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionEditorial: Doctors' help for jobless now healthierA doctor's certificate is often a ticket to social welfare. From this week it becomes a recipe for work. At least - that's the hope.17 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandKindy kids to have ID numbersIdentification numbers attached to children as young as three could be used to track and punish their parents.16 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandFears addicts may face longer wait timeDrug and alcohol addicts may face longer waiting times for treatment.16 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandAre coaches key to teens finding work?Youth services are meant to be the model for transforming our welfare system from "gatekeeping" to "coaching" but results so far in Papakura are patchy.16 Jul 05:30 PM
New Zealand'Five minutes late, you get cut off'Young beneficiaries share their experiences of work requirements. Intended to be 'motivational' some say staff are 'pushy' and 'racist'.16 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandJob hunting replaces focus on benefitsSickness will be at best only a temporary excuse to avoid work under the new welfare regime that came into force this week.15 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandDaycare worker better off on benefitGoing back to work left Jan Berry either $23 or $40 a week worse off than she was on a benefit.15 Jul 05:30 PM
LifestyleWelfare now has health warningDoctors have been told that putting patients on welfare is akin to putting them on "an addictive debilitating drug ... not dissimilar to smoking".15 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandPressure on for mum of 3 to find a jobThree children under 5 and a sick husband didn't save Carla Bradley from being told to prepare for work.15 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandCull 'pushing vulnerable off the books'An welfare advocacy group is warning that thousands of Kiwis will suffer under newly implemented changes to the beneficiary system.14 Jul 10:24 PM
New ZealandHarsher rules net solo dad with four kidsEven being the sole carer for triplets can't excuse Jared Chase from work obligations under the new welfare regime.14 Jul 05:30 PM
New ZealandWhat welfare changes mean for parentsSole parents have got a clear message from today's welfare upheaval - planning to go back to work has to start from the moment a baby is born.14 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionMike Lee: Begging bylaw step toward social responsibilityHopefully the agreed provisions in the bylaw for socially responsible intervention to deal with the problem of begging will remain intact. writes Mike Lee.08 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionBrian RudmanBrian Rudman: Beggars need help, not a kickingInstead of recriminalising begging, a better guide is the Homeless Action Plan the old Auckland City Council initiated in 2005, writes Brian Rudman.04 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionCathy Casey : Begging a social issue, not a crimeMaking begging an offence at law counters many years of positive action by Auckland City Council and will serve only to criminalise beggars. writes Cathy Casey.03 Jul 09:30 PM
New ZealandPolice back stricter rules for beggarsA crackdown on beggars in Auckland has the support of police, who believe it could reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.03 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionBob Jones: Too many people have sense of entitlementBob Jones asks: "How have we descended to this situation where so many citizens feel no moral qualms in living off their fellow citizens' toil?"03 Jun 05:30 PM
OpinionEditorial: Recreational drug control a world firstEditorial: Campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis must be watching with interest. While the law would apply only to synthetic equivalents, it might be hard to deny the same tests to naturally grown leaf.27 May 05:30 PM
New Zealand19 share one state houseA state house with 19 people living in it has been identified as one of the homes receiving more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded benefits each year.26 Apr 05:30 PM
New ZealandNZ benefit numbers dropThe Government says there are 29,000 fewer Kiwis receiving benefits since the last quarter - including hundreds who had theirs cut after being caught claiming them unfairly.14 Apr 01:00 AM
New ZealandSolo father thrives after finding jobWith four children, solo father Jamie le Bas has the odds stacked against him.09 Apr 05:30 PM
New ZealandChanges to child support signed offThe biggest changes to the child support system in more than 20 years have been signed off in Parliament today and will come into place in April next year.09 Apr 06:17 AM
New ZealandFamily told to control autistic childrenA family with three autistic children have been told they need to manage their children's behaviour if they want to get a state house.08 Apr 05:30 PM
WorldStorm rages over UK welfare cutsBritain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will launch a scathing attack on churches and charities that oppose the Government's welfare cuts.02 Apr 04:30 PM
OpinionSusan St John: Let's have policies for all childrenChild poverty is not a party political issue; it is a moral and ethical issue, writes Susan St John. "It may have been possible some time ago to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the prevalence of child poverty in NZ."20 Mar 04:30 PM
