Latest from Social Issues

Divide over gay marriage

Pensioners are holding out in a dwindling minority opposing gay marriage - as 2013 looks possibly to be the year for it to become reality.

Academic celebrated after death

A gifted academic who grew up in Karori has died suddenly in London, devastating her family.

Desperate bid for better life

For more than three months he remained an unknown young African whose fatal decision to seek a better life in Europe ended with an 800m drop.

City Mission brings cheer to thousands

Tapu Misa: Christmas should be a time of hope for us all

A Christmas story from an associate, who was in a Salvation Army op shop when a family - mum, dad, and three children - stopped by to drop off a new bike.

Paul Tan: Turning science into big dollars

Deborah Hill Cone: Life is not about living in a soft-drink ad

The highlights of my year according to Facebook bear very little resemblance to the reality of what 2012 has been like.

Gang power struggle erupts in gunfire at reception

The wedding was a joyful affair, with 300 guests, traditional Serbian dancing and two dozen motorbikes bedecked with red, white and blue streamers.

Editorial: Remedies for child poverty step in the right direction

Editorial: When the Children's Commissioner set up an "expert advisory group on solutions to child poverty" this year, many New Zealanders will have cheered.

Olinda Woodroffe: Pacific ministers well placed to combat violence

I'd like to see church ministers being proactive in curbing violence before it happens. It is good to see church ministers taking a positive step to curb violence.

Peter Calder: December cruellest month for poor

The noticeboards in the public area at the Hobson St headquarters of the Auckland City Mission make grim reading.

Jim Traue: Education not delivering despite many theories

Despite 40 years of investment, the under-performing tail is as stubborn as ever and will remain so as long as educational policy is driven by ideologies, writes Jim Traue.

Govt urged to offer low-cost loans

Government-backed low-interest loans to undercut "loan sharks" could be on the cards in the wake of a pragmatic final report of an expert group on child poverty.

Kiwi refugee service handed over to Red Cross

Poverty a giant hurdle to learning

Scrutiny makes smaller pay rise likely

Low-wage workers look likely to get a small pay rise of under 3 per cent next April after the Government removed social factors from the criteria for setting the minimum wage.