The median age of women giving birth in New Zealand is now 30 years, with Gisborne producing some of our youngest mothers, figures out today show.

If parenting toddlers seems like hard work, teenagers seem in fact to be much harder, writes Dita De Boni.

The blonde in a tight, low-cut evening dress slid on to a barstool next to me and began the chat: Where are you from? How long are you here? Where are you staying?"

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer has become a mother for the third time.

Guy Adams takes a tour of Colorado City, where polygamy is simply a way of life.

Scientists have discovered that a conversation on the phone can be as good as a hug in terms of boosting the "love hormone" oxytocin.

If the British public was shocked by the WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) culture at the World Cup finals in Germany four years ago, this year is going to be all about SADs - Sons and Daughters.

Dita De Boni is thrust back into the social scene post giving birth to and raising her small children - and finds she has nothing to wear.

What's in a name? Shelley Bridgeman discovers that society can be slow on the uptake when it comes to the patronymic.

Courteney Cox's new role is her most daring and controversial yet. She tells Rebecca Barry why she's basically playing herself.

When Michelle tells people about her brood of 17, "their jaws drop". Then they ask if they have misheard - "It usually takes three times before people believe me".

The average woman would date dozens of men and spend thousands of dollars before finding Mr Right, according to a Kiwi dating expert.

He was prepared to steer his boat into any weather, ride his Harley fast and drive his Corvette faster. I never knew the guy, but it's clear he was a legend - and a hoot.

The number of divorces in New Zealand has dropped to a 20-year low, Family Court figures show.

A low divorce rate shows Kiwis avoid marriage unless they're truly committed, a relationship counsellor said.

The loud wail some Aucklanders may have heard this week from the region of Mt Eden was no alarm, car horn or siren - it was me, reacting to the news our TV was on the blink.

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and hundreds of people have already paid tribute to their mothers on a giant post-it wall in central Auckland.

Researchers want to hear from serial sex cheats and others with trouser-trouble, to deepen their understanding of what they call "hypersexuality".

Modern life presents numerous ways to cheat: texts, direct messages, or plain, old-fashioned affairs. But is infidelity really betrayal? Radical couples therapist Esther Perel says it might be exactly what your relationship needs.

The burqa is getting all the attention in the debate over Muslims in France. But another controversial tradition among some immigrants is less noticed and far more widespread.

Long engagements are out as an increasing number of Kiwis are rushing to say "I do" after three months or less.

It may be a bitter pill for women to swallow, but men handle pain better than the fairer sex, a leading expert says.