A mother says she is in severe hardship as an increasing number of parents raise concerns about the system.

Health New Zealand is proposing to cut staff working on alcohol harm by a third and end its alcohol research and social marketing campaigns, the public service union says.

'We love these young people," the Prime Minister says, but a youth advocate believes they're being "punished for and economic crisis they didn't create."

A man was in the grips of a methamphetamine addiction when he broke into a relative's home and stole their firearms collection worth nearly $15,000.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed a consular partner has been in contact with the New Zealanders detained in Israel.

An anti-trafficking expert says the idea that only 31 people are trafficked each year in New Zealand is very unlikely, given that an estimate puts modern slavery here at 8000 victims.