Criminal charges have been laid against an unemployed man who travelled the world for two years courtesy of the taxpayer. Peter Freedom left for Australia in 2009 but his benefit payments were not stopped until last January.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has ordered an investigation into at least 50 households...

Some of the proposals from the Welfare Working Group are anathema to the parties of the left.

John Key says proposed reforms of the welfare sector will be rolled out in the lead up to the general election, and he says the system should make it clear that people must support themselves if they can.

New Zealand's official unemployment rate has fallen from 6.8 per cent to 6.6 per cent, says Statistics NZ.

Women's refuges say some women fleeing from violence may no longer be able to get...

Children are living in tiny, damp and sometimes squalid boarding houses, while Housing NZ staff are discouraging people who are seeking help from formally registering their need, saying they have no business interfering.

Welfare agencies alarmed at extreme lengths some people go to just to eat. One desperate case of a Bay of Plenty child and his three siblings has been offered as a stark example of the degree of poverty in our communities.

A flat tax could create a system that benefits everyone, says Andrew Gawith

Applications for financial support following last week's deadly Christchurch quake are flooding in.