Christchurch quake survivor Brian Coker has called on Kiwis to give blood and save lives.

The New Zealand Blood Service needs 20,000 new life-savers to donate blood.

Narelle Ahrens' son needed two blood transfusions before he was even born

Ron Pattenden has an estimated 100 donors to thank for keeping him alive.

Esther Pekepo wouldn't be alive today were it not for the generosity of strangers.

More than 6000 sign up to become first-time blood donors

Kiwis thanked for their fantastic support for life-saving campaign supported by the Herald.

Olympians returning directly from Rio will face a four-week blood-donation stand-down because of the city's being in the zone of mosquitoes that carry viruses.

COMMENT: I've certainly met a few mad cows in my time, but from memory I don't think I've ever eaten one.

The letters O and A went missing from signage of NZ's top companies and charities yesterday and around the world in a life-saving bid for blood.

Lucca Holecliffe had an extremely rare tumour that had grown so big it was more than 10 per cent of the Auckland toddler's body weight.

When Geoff Joe's mates gave him grief for tumbling off his mountain bike the last thing he planned on doing was go to hospital - instead he had a beer with his mates.

Auckland preschooler Charn Lee-Tuafale, 3, has received more than 30 units of blood in transfusions since he was born.

A charity in memory of Chace Topperwien, the little boy whose brave cancer battle captured the hearts of thousands, is living up to the legacy left by its namesake.

Gill South gets altruistic and donates, not her blood (mad cow issue), but her time to a very good cause.

The suspension of 15 striking laboratory workers in the North Island this morning was an attempt to intimidate them, their union says.

The number of new blood donors has slumped by nearly 20 per cent, creating anxiety over the future of the life-saving service.