New Zealand
More staff, pay equity restored: What nurses want from the next Govt
Five union members shared their views at the NZ Nurses Organisation conference in Rotorua.
Latest from Health NZ Te Whatu Ora
Stories and analysis from The Northern Express Herald.
Why are we waiting for frailty and ageing to become a healthcare crisis?
OPINION: Bed block is trapping frail older people in hospitals and driving up costs.
Government agencies budgeting tens of millions for AI
Spending includes AI tools, licences and staff training across public services.
New whooping cough case detected at South Island high school
The infection spreads through coughing and sneezing and can cause severe fits.
A man walked home after falling from a scooter – he left hospital as a tetraplegic
The 69-year-old man became tetraplegic after a spinal fracture displaced on the CT table.
Whangārei Hospital ED in Code Red seven times longer this July than 2025
A Labour candidate said the system was in crisis and more staff were needed.
Whanganui ED patient turnover hits almost seven times capacity
Whanganui Hospital's emergency department reached 253% capacity during a winter surge.
Nurses say Whanganui ED hit 680% capacity, Health NZ disputes figure
The NZNO says overcrowding and staffing pressures are putting patients at risk.
Health NZ employs 4826 more internationally trained nurses than in 2021
Nursing leaders warn the shift could affect care as local graduates miss out.
Politicians debate key issues facing NZ’s health system
Some members of the public vented frustration at the event.
'Sickest I'd been in my life': What it's like to be hospitalised with the flu in NZ
Flu cases have spiked around the country this winter.
Wellington Hospital closes off part of corridor for extra beds
A contagious flu strain and full hospitals are straining emergency departments.
Two thirds of overseas-trained medical specialists leave again in less than five years
Specialist shortages leave some regions without doctors and referrals rejected.
Nurses declare hospital 'state of emergency' after patient collapses in ED
'What should be considered exceptional demand has become our daily reality,' they say.
Flu season hitting children’s hospitals hard, extra paediatricians called in
Paediatrician Dame Teuila Percival wants free flu vaccines for all next winter.
He threatened to kill. Days later, he was allowed out and murdered a mother of four
A coronial inquest is examining why killer Zakariye Hussein was released.
Family demands answers after killer's release hours before mother's 'unimaginable' death
A coronial inquest will examine why killer Zakariye Hussein was released.
My worst day in 18 years working at Waikato Hospital
OPINION: Waikato nurse says understaffing left patients waiting in unsafe conditions.
New $35m Child Health Centre opens at Whangārei Hospital, sod turned at rebuild site
A $18.5m carpark extension has also been completed at Whangārei Hospital.
'Exhausted': Health workers challenge candidates over 'broken' system
'The wait times are unacceptable and we see people's health deteriorating.'
ED doctor says 'double' the beds are needed: 'Patients in corridors 24/7'
Health NZ says a 'significantly larger' ED is planned in hospital redevelopment.
The fierce election battle over NZ's real nursing numbers
The political argument runs the risk of obscuring the truth of NZ's nursing workforce.
‘She wasn't the same girl’: Bullied teen's mum hopes new suicide unit will bring real change
Summer Mills-Metcalf was only 14 when she died.
Middlemore Hospital nurses reportedly asked to work despite calling in sick
Middlemore Hospital nurses say they were asked to work while unwell.
Probe found family medical files, meth history, wrongly handed to son's school
Records included historic meth use and details of a traumatic pregnancy.
No beds available: Man with severe abdominal pain died after delayed ICU transfer
He ended up in palliative care as his organs were failing by the time he got to ICU.
33 cases in four weeks: Whooping cough 'still circulating' after students fall ill
Health officials are expecting more cases in Auckland and Northland from schools and ECEs.
'Far from over': Health NZ bracing for weeks of strain from sickness surge
Pressures on the health system are expected to continue for another three to four weeks.
Young man died after allergic reaction to meal at mental health facility
Coroner says curry paste likely caused Riley Brown’s fatal allergic reaction.
Meth use hits record high as national awareness campaign fails to fire
Weekly national meth consumption in April was the equivalent of almost two million doses.