Stories by Sarah Robson

As job losses mount and Covid-19 support schemes wind down, budgeting services say there is no let up in the number of people seeking help.

One in five children are living in poverty, and the latest Child Poverty Monitor report warns it could get worse if the government doesn't take bolder action in the aftermath of Covid-19. Audio

The CPAG has criticised a lack of speed in lifting families out of poverty, but the Prime Minister says the government has made significant progress which it would be unfair to dismiss. Audio

Emergency benefits for temporary visa holders will be set at the same rate as the main unemployment benefit - but they won't get access to extra support, like the accommodation supplement or food…

David Millane, the father of murdered British backpacker Grace, has died, police have confirmed.

A digital technology expert is backing the government's moves to make the use of the Covid Tracer app mandatory in certain circumstances.

Almost 23,000 people have come to the end of the payment without finding a job - thousands could still be out of work but unable to get other types of support.

Three years on, has Labour made a difference to child poverty while leading the government? What do those doing it tough say?

Beneficiary advocates say the Labour Party's welfare proposals do not go far enough to make a meaningful difference in the lives of struggling families.

Hundreds of people are coming off the government's 12-week Covid-19 income relief payment, without having found a new job.

Disabled Pasifika people receiving an allowance for extra costs are getting less than half that of Pākehā recipients.

A woman has got a more than $4000 back payment from Work and Income, after a mistake was made when she was applying for the benefit more than two decades ago.

The Prime Minister wants New Zealand to be the best place in the world to grow up - but Unicef's latest child wellbeing rankings have the country among the worst performing in the developed world.

Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni wants to look at ways the welfare system can encourage volunteering to prepare people for work. But officials have warned against making it compulsory.

Police officers and firefighters teamed up to rescue almost a dozen ducklings from a deep drain in the middle of one of Auckland's busy motorways today.

People on the 12-week Covid income relief payment are faring better than those on the benefit, new survey data shows.

Close to 157,000 jobs are being supported by the government's new wage subsidy scheme.

The sentence handed down to the Christchurch mosque shooter is the harshest under current laws and has only been available to judges since 2010, after a law change.

Thousands of travellers who booked trips with STA Travel could find themselves out of pocket, after the company was placed into voluntary administration.

There has been a 52 percent drop in reports of concern being made to Oranga Tamariki in the Auckland area, under the alert level 3 restrictions.

Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly says they are handing out about 1200 food parcels a week - three times the number they would have done in a normal week, before Covid-19. Video

Another wave of job losses sparked by the second Covid-19 lockdown in Auckland is pushing some families to the limit, social services say.

Farmers with properties either side of Auckland's southern border are frustrated they haven't been able to check stock or get essential supplies because of the alert level 3 lockdown.

A move to make it easier for workers to get sick leave while they wait for their Covid-19 test is being criticised as not going far enough.

This timeline charts the movements of New Zealand's newest Covid-19 cluster, the actions of health authorities and the government response.