Poverty
Judith Collins under fire for comments on poverty
Police Minister Judith Collins is under fire for comments implying that bad parenting is the cause of child poverty, and that there is money available to everyone who needs it. Audio
Frontline workers back call to cut child poverty
The Prime Minister is being told setting a target to eradicate child poverty is not as complicated as he makes out.
Salvation Army says there are clear figures of how many children in poverty
The Prime Minister says it is hard to put a specific figure on how many children live in poverty in New Zealand - but the Salvation Army disagrees, and meanwhile, says the problem is ever increasing.
…PM rejects Children's Commissioner's call to cut child poverty by 10% by 2018
Prime Minister John Key is rejecting the Children's Commissioner's call for a 10 percent reduction in child poverty by the end of next year - but Labour wants it to take up the challenge. Audio
Foreign students 'misled' over life in NZ
Government agencies are misleading international students about the reality of living in New Zealand, a university forum has heard.
Homelessness in New Zealand
Dr Kate Amore from the University of Otago, Wellington's He Kainga Oranga/Housing & Health Research Programme shares her research on the growing number of New Zealanders who don't have a house to call… Audio
Teen burglars 'only had to ask' - Sallies
Teenage burglars who robbed a Salvation Army food bank in Christchurch should have visited in work hours if they were hungry, a spokesperson says.
NZ's lowest earners spend half of their income on housing
Rising housing costs have put the country's lowest earners under intense financial pressure. Audio
No material increase in income inequality - report
The latest report on income and poverty shows New Zealand's economy is on the right track, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says.
Homeless seeking driveways to rent
Some homeless Aucklanders are seeking driveways to rent so they can sleep in their cars.
Darrin Hodgetts on 'welfare with a big stick'
Darrin Hodgetts is Professor of Societal Psychology at Massey University. He's critical of what he calls the "victim blaming, punitive approach" to welfare in Aotearoa, which is punishing the poor for… Audio
Minimum wage 'doesn't really cut it'
Employers are being recognised for paying staff the 'living wage' including one who had in the past struggled on the minimum wage.
Three jobs but still struggling financially
A Porirua couple who work almost 80 hours a week still struggle to afford food for their two young children. Audio
Hunger, homelessness new normal for NZ
Hunger and homelessness are being called "the new normal" for increasing numbers of New Zealanders by the Council of Christian Social Services. Audio
Poverty NZ's 'new normal' - report
The government is dumping responsibility for desperate people on charities, say New Zealand's Christian social services.
Māori home ownership falling behind
New statistics reveal Māori home ownership has plummeted in the past 27 years, with the rate in some parts of the North Island dropping by as much as 40 percent.
Families in Nelson struggling to make ends meet
Local agencies in Nelson, from the Nelson Food Bank to the Salvation Army, are reporting increasing cases of hardship among a wider range of families. Audio
Can a late harvest help the hungry?
Every year in New Zealand more than $800 million worth of good food goes to waste while families in need go without. At a time when lines for food banks seem to be growing longer, what can be done to… Audio
Government won't wipe Work and Income motel debts
Wiping the debt of people who have been staying in motels for emergency accommodation would not be fair to others in the system, the Social Development Minister says. Audio
Linda Tirado - Down and Out in Utah and Washington DC
In her book Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America Linda Tirado writes eloquently of the millions of people in her home country – the US – who work hard, yet still struggle. She knows because she… Audio
