More than 200 workers laid off from a Christchurch textile plant may not qualify for help through the Government's earthquake assistance package.

Earthquake hit carpet manufacturer Canterbury Spinners is shutting its Christchurch operation and axing 195 jobs.

The New Zealand dollar may extend its losses this week as the cost of the Christchurch earthquake becomes clearer.

Mothers with young babies and sick and disabled people on benefits would be forced to look for work under a proposed overhaul of NZ's welfare system, which would see all benefits replaced by a 'jobseeker payment'.

Prime Minister John Key says he is open to work-testing beneficiaries when their youngest child turns three.

Peter Milne has one question for a government advisory group that wants more beneficiaries to have to look for work: Where are the jobs?

The Government won't consider reductions to main benefit levels including the sickness, invalid's, unemployment and domestic purposes benefits as part of any welfare overhaul recommended by the Welfare Working Group tomorrow.

John Key has been accused of being disconnected after saying that beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own "poor choices".

John Key says beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own "poor choices" rather than because they cannot afford food.

A Labour MP held up a pumpkin in Parliament today as the Government continued to face criticism over its Community Max welfare projects reported to have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with little result.

The Govt is under fire over a scheme accused of wasting thousands of dollars funding a 1.6ha garden with one pumpkin in it.

These days, there are other 'f words' causing issues - Facebook, free speech and fidelity.