Stories by Catherine Hutton

The new Labour-led government is being advised to keep one of the outgoing Prime Minister's pet policies - the social investment approach.

The only acute mental health unit on Auckland's North Shore has been forced to close five beds because it can't find staff.

Wellington's mental health crisis team is so understaffed it is considering hiring unregistered employees, while a union says patients are being put in seclusion rooms.

A woman's suicide has prompted the Ministry of Social Development to change the way it investigates fraud.

Community care is failing those with chronic needs, a woman calling for a return to a more institutional approach - whose adult son suffers paranoid schizophrenia - says.

The government underestimated the cost of setting up its flagship agency for at-risk children by tens of millions.

A Wellington one-stop youth health clinic has had to turn about 800 people away because a lack of funding means it cannot take any new clients. Video, Audio

Child, Youth and Family had an exodus of senior social workers in the months leading up to the launch of its replacement Oranga Tamariki, documents show.

The proportion of Family Court cases going through on an urgent basis on behalf of just one parent is "very, very high," and lawyers are blaming a push towards mediation.

A school teacher threatened by her abusive ex-husband spent two years without a protection order, when she should have had one, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

The church affected by the typhoid outbreak earlier this year is now struggling to find a place of worship.

Demonstrators at Parliament have condemned New Zealand's record on refugees, saying the government should match Australia's generosity.

The government has no intention of conducting more large-scale pay equity talks, the Prime Minister says, as thousands who missed out on the care and support workers deal seek their own claim through… Audio

After the government proposed requiring all social workers to be registered, it has emerged the country's senior social worker is one of those not on the list. Audio

Efforts to reduce the amount of unhealthy food advertising targeting children are being panned before they have even been introduced. Audio

The government's decision to set aside $15 million in the Budget to investigate whether some school staff have been underpaid their holiday pay, when other workers are left waiting, is puzzling the…

The Anglican Church has announced it will decide the fate of the Christ Church cathedral, in what appears to be a snub to a government working party.

Wellington building owners are struggling to pay for earthquake strengthening in time to meet the council's deadline, they say.

The government should get Australia to sort out the "mess" over proposed new rules that mean a longer wait for New Zealanders to get citizenship, advocates say.

A drop in the number of elderly being admitted to rest homes is being blamed on a push by district health boards to save money.

Child Youth and Family threatened to take four children off a couple after they went to court to force the agency to help them. Audio

Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to legendary cartoonist Murray Ball as a kind man with a strong social conscience. Audio

Lawyers and social workers have attacked draft laws outlining radical changes to child welfare services, saying they're badly written and should be scrapped. Audio

The Justice Minister is expected to unveil sweeping changes to the country's domestic violence laws in the next few weeks.

A grandmother who repeatedly raised concerns with Child Youth and Family about her granddaughter says the agency ignored obvious red flags.