Richard Aston is a former IT corporate high-flyer who for the past decade has run the Big Buddy programme, matching men with boys who need a male role model. He spent seven years on the Rainbow Valley commune near Nelson.

Three teenagers will appear in court in Lower Hutt today charged with kidnapping after a car-jacking which lasted about five hours on Saturday night.

Three teenagers were allegedly held up at knife-point, assaulted and forced to drive around Wellington by a younger group of teens during a five-hour kidnapping ordeal overnight.

High school years are when teens face important decisions that will shape their future. But whom do they go to when they need advice?

Youngsters with ambitions, no matter how challenging or unlikely, will learn to focus and work hard.

In a matter of months, Cyrus has apparently become a pervasive socio-cultural influence and the cause of everything that's wrong with today's youth.

Justice Minister Judith Collins says sexual abuse has nothing to do with the way a woman dresses, and has slammed radio hosts for making this connection.

Police have upped the ante on the Roast Busters investigation, appointing a woman detective with significant experience in child sexual abuse cases.

Young women are striking back against the Roast Busters Facebook gang in a bid to support alleged victims and stand up to what they say is a lack of action against rape culture.

In small towns, mayors are as well placed as anyone to tackle unemployment.

A Far North community grappling with a cluster of youth deaths says the Government isn't doing enough to prevent youth suicide.

A group of mayors has come up with an ambitious proposal to collect at least 20,000 promises of jobs for unemployed young people.

Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills has decided to publish his own annual stocktake of child poverty after the Govt spurned his call to publish official measures and targets.

A Far North after-school care worker has been charged with child sex abuse.

Chamber of Commerce is offering youngsters a road to a job through pilot pre-employment course.

In an all-North Harbour affair, Westlake BHS successfully defended their New Zealand SS basketball title with a 78-68 win over arch rivals Rangitoto in Palmerston North.

Analysis of a healthy eating and activity programme first tested in Waikato primary schools shows the project is saving taxpayer money and improving children's lives.

More than 100 operations - including two liver transplants - are not usually seen on the CVs of beauty contestants.

American transport officials are investigating how a 9-year-old boy got on a plane without a ticket and flew 2400km to Las Vegas.

With their youngest member's immune system vulnerable because of treatment for leukemia, the Johns family have had their activities limited.

The number of young people appearing before the courts has dropped to a 20-year low - but nine under the age of 16 were sentenced over homicides last year.

Three years of practising has paid off for three Taupo teens whose indie-pop band A Bit Nigel took top honours at this year's Smokefree Rockquest finals.

Two girls have handed themselves into police investigating an incident where a Hutt Valley taxi driver was stabbed in the head.

Older long-term unemployed people look set to lose out in a radical reshuffle of foundation education which will give higher priority to young people.

An Auckland father who says his daughter was told during religious instruction that she would go to hell is campaigning to have the classes dropped from her state school.