Stories by Amy Williams
News
MSD refers clients to services facing closure over cuts
Some services are now using their own reserves to pay for the clients: "We will not turn anyone away."
Former member of secretive sect arrested in sex offending probe
The man is facing 17 charges of indecent assault, spanning three decades.
Protesters call for end to benefit sanctions
Some are worried about being forced to return to work under the government's tough-love approach.
Budgeting services seek review of MSD process after funding cuts
The Ministry of Social Development is no longer funding 44 of the 132 budgeting services it supported last financial year.
Benefit cut after one missed appointment
One missed meeting is all it took for one former public servant to lose his benefit: "I felt like I'd been betrayed".
JobSeekers already being warned of benefit cuts
An accountant who has been on a JobSeeker benefit for more than a year was shocked to be told that his payments will be cut by half next week. Audio
Recap: Polkinghorne trial week one: Murder or suicide?
The six-week trial of a retired eye surgeon began in the High Court in Auckland this week. Here's what we know so far.
Fears women can't afford to leave abusive partners due to cost of living
Agencies are providing domestic violence victims with more food parcels and clothing than ever as financial hardship makes bad situations worse.
Intersex abuse survivor unable to give testimony at hearing
A woman disowned by her mother before being abused in state care says she was re-traumatised when an inquiry told her she was not the right demographic to speak at a hearing.
Plea for fast-track deal to save 51 homes from demolition
Parts of Auckland are becoming "increasingly vulnerable to heavy rain" - so we have to act now, councillor says.
'We were seen as dirty girls': Mum's baby taken from her while she slept
Maggie Wilkinson is 80 but remembers the day the matron of an Anglican-run home for unwed mothers took her baby against her will like it was yesterday.
'It caused his death': Man abused in care dies before justice served
A woman whose disabled brother contracted a fatal disease as a result of horrific child sexual abuse at a religious boarding school is angry he died before justice could be served.
Forgot about Zumba? These elders haven't
While their families are at work and school, Pasifika elders are letting their hair down at classes that started in 2013.
Budgeting services plead for urgent review of funding
In an open letter to the government, they said a third of the free budgeting services are losing funding, putting more pressure on poor communities.
City mission apartments not to blame for crime - residents
Those living at the apartments say it's their second chance after being homeless, and "you can't do a witch hunt."
Street almost competely levelled after flooding
Nearly all the houses of a South Auckland street have been bulldozed after last year's flooding.
Budgeting cutbacks: 'There will be nowhere for people to go for support'
Budgeting services whose government funding has been chopped are warning other free financial mentors are too busy to pick up their clients.
Storm aftermath: 39 whanau still in temporary accomodation
More than 100 Aucklanders are still living in temporary accommodation provided by the government's disaster service after last year's catastrophic storms.
Auckland City Mission cook-off: 'Not everyone has the ability to cook a simple meal'
Auckland City Mission invited 150 guests experiencing homelessness or food insecurity to a three-course meal cooked by celebrity chefs and business leaders. Audio
Owners of flood-damaged homes left waiting until 2025 for buyout news
Authorities say the wait is necessary to get the decisions right, but an advocate says community members feel "let down" by the delay.
'They want to feel that sense of belonging' - youth group
A youth group formed after a spate of violent crime on Auckland's North Shore is providing young people with a place to belong and get involved in their community.
Secretive sect under investigation faces venue cancellations
A sect being probed for historical child sexual abuse is facing venue cancellations for some of its meetings.
Religious sect investigated by FBI, and NZ Police apologise
A woman who was sexually abused by a minister of a secretive sect as a child says the religious group's apology has been a long time coming.
Dozens of free budgeting services face closure after missing out on funding
A third of the country's free budgeting services face closure during a cost of living crisis, after missing out on the latest round of government funding.
Sexual assault victim felt silenced and shamed in sect: 'I had only ever known fear'
A woman who was a victim of sexual violence as a child and teenager has spoken for the first time of the abuse - and how the secretive sect she was raised in turned a blind eye and later condoned her…