Latest from Social Welfare

Girls of 12 working in 'young red light area', say police
Police are worried by a rise in underage prostitution in downtown Auckland, where girls as young as 12 are selling themselves for sex.

<i>Bernard Hickey: </i> Cut the middle class welfare
It's time to kill the middle class welfare boondoggles.

Minister under fire again on privacy
A request for cash to resolve a privacy complaint against Paula Bennett suggests the politician could have been at fault, a lawyer says.

Winz sting exposes beneficiary scam
Police have been called in after a Govt "sting" of secondhand appliance dealers found some allegedly conniving with beneficiaries to deceive Work and Income.

$15,000 demand outrages Bennett
Paula Bennett has attacked the integrity of a solo mother who is asking for $15,000 to settle a privacy complaint against the minister.

Report links long-term sick leave to depression
People off work due to injury are likely to suffer high rates of depression and suicide, new research suggests.

Helping to foster better parents
A teaching method for caregivers of children from broken homes is "a bit like Supernanny" says the boss of a scheme aimed at coaching foster parents.

Rise in number of young without income
The number of young people aged 20 to 24 with no income almost trebled between 1996 and 2006, according to new figures.

Whanau Ora to receive $134.3 million
Families-based social services initiative Whanau Ora will receive $134.3 million in funding over the next four years, Prime Minister John Key announced today.

Winz tells jobseeker to 'dumb down' CV
Winz staff told a woman with a university bachelor degree to "dumb down" her CV before applying for jobs.