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Patricia Prime, 79, had a short smoking addiction after retiring work. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

17,000 more Kiwis need to quit smoking each year to hit target

14 Dec, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Major changes are needed to reach the Government's Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 target.

Heidi Harty-Eugster, 38, needed a life-saving heart transplant. Pictured with husband Chris and daughter Coco, 10. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Organ donor saves life of Christchurch mother

15 Nov, 2018 5:55pm
4 minutes to read

"Because of the donor, I'm now able to be a mother, a wife, a daughter and a friend."

Kain Parsons died after being injured during a charity boxing match in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

NZ medical organisations call for boxing ban

15 Nov, 2018 11:32am
3 minutes to read

The NZ Medical Association and a trauma network are both opposed to boxing.

A rare form of vitamin B3 called nicotinomide riboside, marketed as Tru Niagen, can slow the effects of aging. Photo /Supplied

LIFESTYLE

Supplement which claims to slow ageing launched in NZ

18 Sep, 2018 1:11pm
4 minutes to read

A new supplement claims to slow the effects of ageing but not everyone is convinced.

A nurse convicted of money laundering has had her registration cancelled. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Money-laundering nurse has registration cancelled

18 Sep, 2018 11:45am
3 minutes to read

A nurse convicted of laundering $300,000 in drug money will no longer be able to practice.

Michaiah Simmons-Villari had her breast implants removed because of health issues. Photo / Michael Craig

LIFESTYLE

Under the knife: Kiwi women kissing goodbye to breast implants & filler

26 Aug, 2018 5:00am
9 minutes to read

Kiwis joining the likes of Kylie Jenner and Victoria Beckham in reversing cosmetic surgery

A snow flurry whipped through central Auckland on August 15, 2011, with it falling on Queen Street. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Snow in Auckland? It fell this time 7 years ago

16 Aug, 2018 9:17am
4 minutes to read

Aucklanders found themselves in a snow flurry in August, 2011 but it won't happen today.

Folic acid should be added to all packaged bread, a new report argues. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Folic acid should be mandatory in bread, science adviser says

3 Aug, 2018 11:00am
4 minutes to read

Adding folic acid to all packaged bread could save 10 babies from a neural tube defect.

Eight-week-old Bryan Wang, held by mother Huie Chen, is the first Auckland baby to be vaccinated against tuberculosis in two years. Nurse Alice Ma prepares the BCG vaccine. Photo / Dean Purcell.

NEW ZEALAND

Kiwi babies vaccinated against TB

2 Aug, 2018 1:00pm
3 minutes to read

The BCG vaccine is available for the first time in two years following a global shortage.

A surgeon hired by Waikato DHB racked up a series of complaints. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Health Board hired surgeon despite referees' concerns

30 Jul, 2018 3:57pm
4 minutes to read

A commissioner found the DHB failed to ensure the surgeon was fit to practise.

NEW ZEALAND

Drinking while pregnant like 'Russian roulette'

27 Jul, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Almost quarter of Kiwi women drink during their first trimester of pregnancy.

Croatian football fans, clockwise from back left, Joseph Ukic, Goran Kacurov, Bono Kacurov, 10 and Vito Kacurov, 12, are celebrating their team's success in making the World Cup final. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

'I can't explain how proud we are and how happy we are': Croatian football fan

16 Jul, 2018 4:00am
3 minutes to read

Croatian football fans are celebrating this morning after a historic Football World Cup.

NEW ZEALAND

Obesity inevitable: Kiwis and junk food

11 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Schools are still selling sugary drinks and kids are being bombarded with junk food ads.

Nurses look set to strike on Thursday for the first time in 30 years. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Nurses strike: Up to 8000 people to have treatment rescheduled

10 Jul, 2018 2:47pm
6 minutes to read

Hospitals are ramping up preparations for when up to 30,000 nurses strike on Thursday.

Dame Margaret Bazley, and Russell McVeagh chairman Malcolm Crotty, at the release of the findings of her independent report on the firm. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

University to re-establish links with Russell McVeagh in wake of report

5 Jul, 2018 7:01pm
4 minutes to read

Auckland University is taking steps to re-establish a relationship with the firm.

Middlemore Hospital emergency department nurses are wearing safety alarms as the number of physical attacks rises. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Violent threats against nurses: Staff wearing personal emergency alarms

5 Jul, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Nurses at Middlemore are wearing emergency alarms as the number of violent assaults rises.

NEW ZEALAND

Two million obese New Zealanders by 2038, study finds

5 Jul, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Urgent action needed to halt the growth of waistlines, researchers say.

Southern Clinical Trials medical director Simon Carson said results from the trial of a new drug for diabetics were looking positive. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Promising results from drug trial for diabetics

4 Jul, 2018 1:56pm
4 minutes to read

A drug being trialled to help diabetics control weight and blood sugar looks promising.

The Orbera gastric balloon helps people lose weight without resorting to gastric band surgery. Image / Orbera

NEW ZEALAND

Gastric balloon helping obese Kiwis regain their lives

2 Jul, 2018 3:39pm
4 minutes to read

A morbidly obese man who could walk no more than 20m at a time can now live a normal life.

The nurses organisation recommends its members take new offer, which would avert planned strikes. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

New pay offer may stop nurses' strike

2 Jul, 2018 2:03pm
4 minutes to read

Nurses and midwives offered 12.5 per cent pay increase in latest negotiations.

Jessica Davenport-Lee has had numerous surgeries on her heart and now needs a liver and heart transplant. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

'I look well - but I carry a defibrillator'

2 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Jess Davenport-Lee's heart could stop beating at any moment but all she can do is wait.

Doctors failed to tell a woman her cancer was more serious than first thought. Photo / File

Incurable cancer diagnosis follows shocking communication breakdown

1 Jul, 2018 4:15pm
3 minutes to read

The gynaecologist assumed the woman was getting six rounds of chemotherapy. She wasn't.

Beverage companies like Coca-Cola are committing to reducing sugar in the industry in Australia by 20 per cent but there are no plans for New Zealand yet. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

NZ beverage industry to consider sugar reduction target

29 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

A move to reduce the amount of sugary drinks sold in Australia could be considered in NZ.

Anna Kooperberg was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer in 2014. Now she's encouraging people to talk about the disease. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Bowel cancer: Plea to Kiwis – don't die of shame

27 Jun, 2018 5:00am
7 minutes to read

Don't be afraid to talk about poos and bums – it just might save your life.

The number of women who die during or soon after pregnancy has halved. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Maternal death rate halves but work needed to save prem babies

26 Jun, 2018 8:00am
3 minutes to read

Maternal death rate drops for the first time in 10 years but neonatal deaths a worry.

NEW ZEALAND

Incurable cancer diagnosis follows communication breakdown

25 Jun, 2018 6:16pm
3 minutes to read

Doctors failed to tell a woman her cancer was more serious than first thought.

Alister Robertson, 63, was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 but has not let that stop him. He recently completed the K2 Cycle Challenge. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Dementia diagnosis: 'You're still the same person'

25 Jun, 2018 2:23pm
4 minutes to read

About 80 per cent of Kiwis know someone with dementia. So how do we deal with that?

Zeo Haami, Jonah Hanrahan and Ashley Ah Chong are among a group of Waitakere College students determined to make their school healthier. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Weighty issue: Auckland schoolkids are 2kg heavier

20 Jun, 2018 6:00am
5 minutes to read

More screen time and the pull of unhealthy food are causing Auckland kids to get fatter.

Aria Markham, 8-months, was born five weeks early and is part of a study looking at the best way of feeding premature babies. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Prem baby study hopes to prevent learning issues later in life

20 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

A new study will see MRI scans study the development of the brains of premature babies.

Larryn Rae captured this photo showing a red sprite (in the top centre of the frame) from Te Arai beach last night. facebook.com/shadowandshadenz

NEW ZEALAND

Photo of rare red sprite 'once in a lifetime shot' for Auckland man

17 Jun, 2018 5:26pm
2 minutes to read

An Auckland man captured a photo of a rare meteorological phenomenon last night.

Maysie Chan is running the New York Marathon for the Mental Health Foundation. Photo / Supplied

LIFESTYLE

Teens who exercise 'less likely to be depressed'

3 May, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Teenagers who don't exercise have a higher risk of developing mood disorders.

Former lawyer Olivia Wensley, who has spoken out about sexual harassment in the legal industry, says the report into a barrister's actions was

NEW ZEALAND

Call for harsher penalties after lawyer told to bend over by barrister

29 Mar, 2018 6:20pm
5 minutes to read

A former lawyer is disappointed with the punishment a senior barrister received.

Robyn Hughes believes a hormone-based pregnancy testing drug she took in 1977 caused health problems in her son. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

3000 NZ women took potentially dangerous pregnancy test

28 Mar, 2018 3:37pm
5 minutes to read

Thousands of women took a pregnancy test which may have caused deformities in babies.

Family trips to the park or the pool keep Judah, Lily and Cara Price active. Photo / Jonathan Price

NEW ZEALAND

Childhood obesity: Could the solution be this simple?

28 Mar, 2018 12:07pm
3 minutes to read

Active kids have less excess fat, a study has shown.

A new study has revealed some of the factors which can lead to obesity. Photo / File

LIFESTYLE

Revealed: Seven key factors that can lead to Kiwis being fat

23 Mar, 2018 2:00am
4 minutes to read

Could being a man or being raised by a solo parent have an impact on your weight?

Four Middlemore Hospital buildings are leaking and have toxic mould and bacteria growing in them. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Toxic mould, fungus and bacteria growing in leaky hospital

22 Mar, 2018 1:07pm
5 minutes to read

Health Minister David Clark says that patient safety is not at risk.

Jason Guttenbeil was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and given 6-9 months to live but Keytruda has kept him alive. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Wait for 'miracle drug' drags on for patients

12 Feb, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

It's been a year and no decision has been made on funding for cancer drug Keytruda.

Health Minister David Clark is looking into more shared services among district health boards as critics call for cuts to duplicated services in the sector. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

NEW ZEALAND

Unhealthy bill? $66m for 440 health bosses

27 Jan, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

The $66 million question - why is it costing so much to run our district health boards?

Malachi Agnew, 12, is fighting a raft of medical conditions but his bucket list keeps him going. Top of the list is meeting Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Meeting Jacinda Ardern tops sick boy's bucket list

24 Jan, 2018 4:37pm
3 minutes to read

At the top of a sick boy's bucket list is meeting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Droplet isolation required that people wear a surgical mask when within a metre of the patient. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Man in isolation for 115 days in hospital

7 Jan, 2018 8:45am
3 minutes to read

More than 10,000 Kiwis end up in isolation each year with the longest a 115-day spell

Cooper Snowdon, 16, broke his neck mountain biking and is now paralysed from the neck down but he making remarkable progress

WHANGANUI CHRONICLE

I should be dead: Teen defies the odds after breaking his neck

2 Jan, 2018 8:03pm
3 minutes to read

Doctors didn't think Cooper Snowdon would ever breathe on his own again - they were wrong.

Val Ireland has been left disfigured after having cancer cut out of her mouth despite another 15 operations to fix it. Photo / Nick Reed

NEW ZEALAND

5 years, 15 operations – why can't Val, eat, drink, talk?

31 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

All Val Ireland wants is to be able to face herself in the mirror again.

Adam Booker and Rachael Montagu's wedding plans were rocked when he went into cardiac arrest at his stag do. Photo / Greg Bowker

NEW ZEALAND

Man's 'dies' for 30 minutes during stag do

30 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

"About 5 minutes into it they just saw me fall over. They thought I was just joking."

Jason Guttenbeil was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and given 6-9 months to live but Keytruda is keeping him alive. Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

I should be dead: 'Miracle' drug keeping father of four alive

29 Dec, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Jason Guttenbeil should be dead by now but a miracle drug has him looking to the future.

Three doctors misdiagnosed Cailyn Selfe when she had the mumps. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Mumps misdiagnosis: Teen fears she infected hundreds

28 Dec, 2017 6:01pm
5 minutes to read

A teenager with mumps, who was misdiagnosed by three doctors, fears she infected hundreds.

Nathan Haines, pictured with wife Jaimie and son Zoot, has had major surgery to remove part of his voicebox. Photo / Sherry Roberts

ENTERTAINMENT

Kiwi musician's shock throat cancer diagnosis

27 Dec, 2017 6:41pm
4 minutes to read

Kiwi musician Nathan Haines goes under the knife to remove throat cancer.

The number of prescriptions of opioids like morphine are increasing. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Fentanyl prescriptions double despite warnings

27 Dec, 2017 4:55pm
4 minutes to read

Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine but it's being used more and more.

Sean and Amanda Gordon with their 6 month-old son Lachlan. Amanda had Lachlan when she was 43 years-old. Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

From 13 to 53: The age of new NZ mums

27 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Figures from the country's 20 district health boards have been revealed.

Cooper Snowdon, 16, and his mum Kim Ostern in the Burwood Spinal Unit. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

I should be dead: Teen who broke his neck defying odds

27 Dec, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Doctors didn't think Cooper Snowdon would ever breathe on his own again - they were wrong.

A midwife has been deregistered after she provided services while suspended. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Midwife deregistered after practising while suspended

20 Dec, 2017 6:19pm
2 minutes to read

A midwife who was suspended from practicing provided midwifery services to a friend.

A pharmacist has been suspended for selling prescription drugs without a prescription. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Pharmacist sold addictive drugs without prescriptions

20 Dec, 2017 4:03pm
2 minutes to read

A pharmacist sold large amounts of addictive drugs to people without prescriptions.

Findings from researchers from Auckland University's Liggins Institute and the University of Otago could pave the way for a new, safe treatment. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Treatment for babies with fetal growth syndrome proven safe

14 Dec, 2017 2:00pm
3 minutes to read

Up to 6000 New Zealand babies could benefit from the findings of a New Zealand study.

NEW ZEALAND

New anaesthetic being developed as opioid alternative

13 Dec, 2017 12:58pm
3 minutes to read

Kiwi researchers are developing a strong, anaesthetic as an opioid alternative

Cancer treatment waiting times are making a busy festive season even more stressful for some families.File photo / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Cancer patients face Christmas wait

13 Dec, 2017 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Cancer patients are having to wait months for treatment as hospitals struggle to keep up.

Eva McGauley has set up a charity called Eva's Wish. Photo / Dean Purcell.

NEW ZEALAND

Teen struggling to pay for miracle drug

10 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Eva McGauley has terminal cancer but a miracle drug has seen her tumours disappear.

Mental health is an area which needs more work the Health Minister has been told. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Mental health services "clearly struggling"

7 Dec, 2017 4:26pm
2 minutes to read

Briefings: Areas of patient safety need more work the Health Minister has been told.

Some amputees are getting less funding for new limbs than others. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Some amputees get 214pc more for limbs

7 Dec, 2017 4:03pm
2 minutes to read

Briefings: Disparity in the funding for some amputees made known to the Government.

The new Health Minister is reluctant to commit to an obesity reduction target. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Labour goes quiet on obesity targets

3 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

The Health Minister criticised National's obesity targets, but what will he do?

Arlene Padawag-Cosme, 37, had a brain aneurysm four days after giving birth and is now in a coma. Pictured here with her husband Rayan Cosme and daughters Gracee, 10, and Ayene, 5. Photo / Givealittle

NEW ZEALAND

New mum in a coma days after giving birth

2 Dec, 2017 4:30pm
3 minutes to read

An Auckland woman fell into a coma four days after giving birth to her third child.

Two-year-old Xzavier Radford, who has Prader Willi Syndrome, tries out the new car given to him by GoBabyGo. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

New wheels get disabled kids moving

2 Dec, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Seven children with disabilities are the new owners of ride-in electric toy cars.

Whangarei man Barry Joblin used a cell phone app to identify a potentially fatal melanoma. Photo / John Stone

NEW ZEALAND

The app that 'likely' saved a man's life

2 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

It might have saved Barry Joblin but the Cancer Society is warning against relying on apps

Sylvia Park School is taking part in Little Hoots to show support for children, like their student Ryu Kireka, who have been diagnosed with cancer. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

Owls to help show sick kids people give a hoot

22 Nov, 2017 4:37pm
4 minutes to read

School kids are decorating owl statues to show their support for cancer kids.