A transgender refugee from Colombia who was knocked back by other countries says she has "found paradise" in New Zealand after being officially recognised as a woman.

Labour wants drivers' licences and passports in New Zealand to offer three gender options.

Lydia Sosene writes: A full-strength alcohol outlet would be a recipe for disaster and the social cost on our struggling community will continue to triple.

When Cecil Lochan settled in Mt Roskill in the mid-1970s, the Fijian-Indian was the first non-European in the street. His neighbour wasn't happy.

The Government’s proposal for get-ahead loans is okay, but it won't help New zealanders who are still in serious financial trouble, writes Peter Calder.

Voters comparing social policies at this election have a clear choice: "Unrelenting focus on work" with National, or a softer line if Labour wins.

When I was in Christchurch recently to interview the two main candidates in the Christchurch Central electorate, I was shocked to see that people on the street seemed even more weary than ever.

David and Wendy Farnell blundered their way through a 60 Minutes television interview about their disabled son, Gammy, born to a surrogate mother in Thailand.

A new war on "loan sharks' should help bankrupt Auckland mum Farrah Matthews, who ended up paying $29k for a $12k car - borrowing money at 29 per cent interest.

Almost 1 million families will be eligible for low- and no-interest loans under a new Government-backed scheme aimed at saving low-income families from "loan sharks".

Peter Calder writes: Waikowhai Primary School in Mt Roskill is one of 15 schools where the seven-week course called Kiwi Kids has been run over the past eight years.

Epsom election candidates faced off at a public debate last night, with one promising to name a convicted sex offender with name suppression under parliamentary privilege.

When policymakers in the modern world worry about the cost to future taxpayers of ageing populations, pensions are only part of it - healthcare also contributes to the bill.

Mountaineer Graeme Dingle's youth charity is branching out from its original outdoors focus to try to connect school-leavers with employers and jobs.

A further 3500 young people on welfare could have their spending tightly controlled by an adult supervisor if National is re-elected.

Let's not get sidetracked over whether or not Housing New Zealand's dog ban failed.

New Zealand's first sex offender register has been signed off by Cabinet, but will only be available to agencies and not the general public.

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

An Auckland Congolese family whose children are sponsored by NZ donors have been overwhelmed by readers' generosity since their story featured in the Herald.

I look in the mirror and wonder how I managed to survive the torture and humiliation I faced when I was a teenager, writes Jesse Greenslade.

Even while "the monstrous anger of the guns" was hauling millions to their death, the blame game was already well under way.

Picture your son or daughter watching an event at the Commonwealth Games, then turning to you and saying: "I want to do that."

Wheelchair users who can't get into a new bank branch in downtown Auckland say its inaccessible design makes New Zealand look like a "Third World" country.

If he knows what's good for him, the modern gentleman will prefer brains, not blondes, according to a study of marriage.

When you are feeling in the depths of despair it does not help at all to be told to count your blessings, writes Deborah Hill Cone.

Politicians hate targets. The risk associated with them is all too apparent.

Helping close achievement gaps in our classrooms will be a priority for a leading academic appointed to a major new science education role.