Latest fromPoverty

New take on inequality sparks debate
Rarely does an economist's work capture the attention that Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century has.

Editorial: Govt opts for caution and stability
The most notable item in the Government's third term agenda outlined to Parliament yesterday is an intention to hold "job fairs" in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane aimed at New Zealand....

Twelve Questions: Paul Brown
Paul Brown wanted to be an architect but I wasn't artistic enough. I've rebelled against that (King's College stereotype) a bit. I'm a maverick I suppose.

Catriona MacLennan: Taking on the loan sharks
Catriona MacLennan writes: Low family incomes and high rents are the two key sources of poverty for my legal clients. The third is huge debt associated with car purchases.

Discipline key to living on nothing
Five days of tinned vegetables, lean meals and no snacks are over for Petra Bagust's family who joined thousands of Kiwis voluntarily living below the poverty line this week.

Solo parents' benefits cut due to travel
New figures show 9 per cent of solo parents in Auckland had their benefits cut for travelling overseas, but advocates say they had good reasons to travel.

Lucy Lawless: Hungry children - the hidden toll
We are already paying for the offspring of poverty, writes Lucy Lawless. Hungry kids are sick kids - so feeding them in schools is a smart strategy.

Action on child poverty wanted - but...
A new poll on child poverty has found most Kiwis want more done to fix the problem - but not if it meant paying higher taxes.

Peter Lyons: I've learned my lesson, life's just not fair
Teacher Peter Lyons says he's finally learned a valuable lesson - life isn't fair, so he explains why he's decided to vote the right way this election.

John Hawkes: Williams a remarkable man in any language
Dr Harold Williams has long been featured by Guinness World Records as the world's greatest linguist. He spoke 58 languages.

Nigel Latta: Ten things I've learned
As his hard-hitting TV series about New Zealand’s biggest challenges draws to a close, Nigel Latta reflects on what he knows now

Election: Free visits big gun on battlefield
In health, the election has become a bidding war focused on the new centre ground of free doctor visits.

Town that turned its prospects around
Pinepine Savage holds proof in her own life that it is possible to turn around a town that everyone had written off.

NZ ranks in top 10 of countries
New Zealand has retained its rank as one of the world's most developed countries.

Kiwis sponsor African kids in Auckland
Kiwi donors are sponsoring three African children - in Mt Roskill. The trio came here as refugees in '08 need the sponsorship because the family can't make ends meet.

Diana Clement: Don't moan - this is a land of opportunity
I'd just landed back in NZ after five "trip-of-a-lifetime" weeks at the Fifa World Cup, writes Diana Clement. If there's a lesson from Brazil, it's be happy.

The project that gave a voice
100 low-income families were asked what they needed to get out of poverty. Here are their answers.

Susan St John: Working for Families simply not working
Jonathan Boston and Simon Chapple, authors of Child Poverty in New Zealand, rightly fume at the nonchalant political response to the finding of serious errors in measured child poverty.

Heed the words of King Dick
In 1898 New Zealand was favoured with a visit from Sydney and Beatrice Webb. This English couple were early members of the Fabian Society, a progressive political movement that was an important driver in the formation of the British Labour Party.

The wonders of reading
Ghetto kid turned presidential hopeful Ben Carson is in New Zealand to help celebrate as the Duffy Books in Homes scheme turns 20.

Jonathan Boston: Poverty is here but it can be fixed
There are children in New Zealand living in circumstances that are not much different from those in the slums of Delhi, says Jonathan Boston.

Editorial: Wild claims hurt writer's good work
Editorial: Book launches can be a trap for unwary authors. Eager to gain the maximum publicity for their work, they face an ever-present temptation to gild the lily.

India slum living for poorest Kiwi kids?
The poorest Kiwi children are now no better off than some children in the slums of India, a leading author says.

NZ's top 10% are richer than rest
The richest 10 per cent of New Zealanders are wealthier than the rest of the population combined, according to figures cited by Oxfam NZ.