Poverty
Councillor suggests moving homeless on
A Christchurch City Councillor wants a group of homeless people who have set up camp in the central city to be moved on like buskers.
Big hike in food parcel demand - Salvation Army
Demand for its emergency food parcels is up 9 percent in the first quarter of this year, the Salvation Army says.
Should we ban begging in Auckland?
As the Wellington City Council considers outlawing begging, the focus has once again fallen on people on the streets asking for money. Auckland mayoral candidate Mark Thomas joins Checkpoint. Video, Audio
Housing company takes over area's state homes
The biggest handover yet of state rental housing goes through today, with nearly 3000 eastern Auckland homes transferring to a joint venture. Audio
Is the government's plan for helping vulnerable kids working?
A charity which co-ordinates a new scheme providing wraparound care for vulnerable children in Hamilton says it is being undermined by a lack of resources - and families are falling through the gaps… Audio
Demand for food parcels leaves funding hole
Unprecedented demand for food parcels will leave a $100,000 hole in Auckland City Mission's funding.
South Auckland finally gets support for most vulnerable
South Auckland opened the country's tenth, and largest, so-called Children's Team today, which aims to help 1400 of the region's most vulnerable children. Audio
Fill their Lunchbox - Ben Atkinson
A Christchurch chef has decided to do something about kids in his area going to school without lunch. He's launched Fill their Lunchbox, and it's proved so successful he's now looking to take it full… Audio
Liz Sime: women and children first
Recent retiree from the position of Director of International Operations, and Vice President at Marie Stopes International, after working for 15 years around the world for international humanitarian… Audio
Poverty holding NZ school kids back at maths - OECD report
Poor children in New Zealand are more than six times more likely to do badly at maths than well-off children, a new OECD report says. Audio
Government can't ignore OECD report - union
The secondary school teachers union says the Government can't ignore a new report that says children living in poverty are not learning maths as well as wealthier children. Audio
Giving back - Leprosy Mission NZ in Bangladesh
There are about 5 million people affected by leprosy around the globe. Lynda Chanwai-Earle and Justin Gregory bring us a story about high profile Asian New Zealanders in Bangladesh bringing aid to… Audio, Gallery
Unprecedented demand at City Mission
More support has already been given to desperate families so far these holidays than for the entire Christmas period last year, the Auckland City Mission says.
Rise in families seeking help for Christmas stress
Christmas is billed as the most wonderful time of the year but for some it is the most stressful, as queues outside the Auckland City Mission attest.
Poverty
Vanessa Caldwell of the National Committe for Addiction Treatment talks about the PMs claim of drug dependency being a major factor in unemployment. Audio
Data shows where bleak future beckons
New data shows where NZ's young adults are most likely to fail at school, stay on a long term benefit, use mental health services, or go to prison. Audio
The Ethical Economy
Will a more ethical economic system begin to evolve throughout the world, which would seek to balance the injustices between those of poverty and wealth - with A.Prof Adam Arvidsson from the… Audio
Visible rise in people asking for donations
New Zealand has been slow in the uptake of begging in comparison to other countries around the world. But today, there is a visible rise of people asking for donations from the pavement on our inner… Audio
Sugar 'providing fuel' for rheumatic fever
A new study shows children with several rotten teeth are nearly twice as likely to get rheumatic fever. Audio
Wellington joins 100 Resilient Cities
Wellington recently joined the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities programme and urban planners are now mapping out a long-term resilience plan for the capital. Audio