OpinionKerre McIvorKerre McIvor: Help a hard sell to scared mumsA group of us went up to Kerikeri last weekend to run the Kerikeri Half Marathon.23 Nov 04:30 PM
New ZealandLive-in mentors eyed for welfare teensThe Government is looking at putting some teenagers who are already supported by welfare benefits into a flatting situation with a live-in mentor to prevent them going off the rails.14 Nov 04:30 PM
OpinionEditorial: Living wage could miss its family targetEditorial: Mayor Len Brown's pursuit of a policy that would see the Auckland Council pay the "living wage" to its staff has drawn a variety of objections.10 Nov 04:30 PM
New Zealand13,000 parents' benefits cutAlmost 13,000 parents with dependent children have had their benefits cut for failing work tests in the first 2 years after sole parents first had to look for work.22 Oct 04:30 PM
New ZealandFood work payoutFast-food giant McDonald's has been paid $272,000 by the Government to help unemployed people get back to work.19 Oct 04:30 PM
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 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 ZealandFears addicts may face longer wait timeDrug and alcohol addicts may face longer waiting times for treatment.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
