A pianist who was homeless in Hollywood for a year and a half says he never lacked for company on the streets.

Prime Minister John Key has split housing issues across three ministers as National speeds up its shift toward developing social housing by private providers and reducing reliance on state....

Dear John and David. Please forgive the first-name familiarity. I'm older than you are so it doesn't feel terribly out of order.

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.

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".

Dr Ellen Nicholson and Jenni Mace detail six ways to keep young people safe through adolescence.

A terminally-ill divorcee faces being evicted from her home despite being owed nearly $1 million, after her case was put off for three months while a judge is on holiday.

The Government is putting another $100 million into getting beneficiaries such as solo parents and the sick into work and stopping them ending up on welfare in the long term.

Government will slash tertiary tuition fees for science, agriculture, and some health science courses, Budget 2014 shows.

Join us for a live video stream from Parliament as Finance Minister Bill English delivers the 2014 Budget from 2pm.

Editorial: The rebuilding of the city has created plenty of opportunities. Any initiative that makes it easier for beneficiaries to move to this work is, therefore, welcome.

Life is just fine for many Kiwis living in Australia who say they have nothing to moan about after crossing the Tasman in search of a better life.

Just one in 100 beneficiaries who had pre-employment drug tests under a new government policy showed any sign of drug abuse.

'Cave' dwellers will officially get top priority for social housing under new rules that kicked in this week.

Editorial: The news that at least 21,000 beneficiaries have travelled overseas in the past nine months had a predictable response.

Helpline services for smokers, gamblers and other groups are being merged into a new national "telehealth" service - possibly with a simple 111-style number.

Maori are living longer and their infant mortality rate will soon be the same as Pakeha - but they're still over-represented in poverty statistics.

New Zealand is still wasting its "demographic dividend" of young Maori and Pacific people reaching working age.

Gaps between New Zealand's main ethnic groups are closing for our youngest citizens - but remain deeply entrenched on many indicators for older children and adults.

If the issue of inequality and poverty is to loom large in this election year there are a couple of cherished beliefs on both sides of politics that need to surrender to evidence, writes Brian Fallow.

Homeless families like first-time mum Lydia Mataiti and her newborn baby will find it harder to find shelter after the closure of one of Auckland's handful of emergency houses.

Crime is at a 34-year low, incomes and employment are rising and teenage pregnancy has plunged, a new report on the state of our nation shows.

'We've been absolutely clear in all the materials.' David Cunliffe has defended against accusations he mislead the public over his $60 baby bonus.

Prime Minister John Key has accused Labour leader David Cunliffe of "misleading New Zealanders" over the $60-a-week child payment scheme.

Labour's $60-a-week child payment scheme may produce less work and more babies, economists say.

David Cunliffe's "baby bonus" is a nifty Trojan horse that will do more for Labour's chances than the usual politically inspired and euphemistically labelled "kissing babies" exercise, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

This election year there will be claim and counter-claim from National and Labour about whether the recovering economy is a rising tide that will lift all boats.