Health
Who will cover the cost of removing asbestos-tainted sand?
The NZEI teachers union has asked the government to take accountability and shoulder the "large and unforeseen costs" of removing asbestos-tainted sand used in schools and Early Childhood Education… Audio
Legal action likely over transgender sport guidelines
Auckland Pride is among a group of organisations preparing to take legal action over the Minister for Sport and Recreation's decision to direct Sport New Zealand to remove its guidelines for… Audio
1200 prescription mistakes found in probe after toddler's death
Pharmacists reported hundreds problems with prescriptions in just a week. Audio
Oceania Healthcare posts profit, despite revenue drop
The company's total unit sales rose 5 percent to 271 units, including 161 care suites and 110 independent living units.
Morning Report Essentials for Friday 21 November 2025
Feral cats will join stoats, ferrets, weasels and rats and possums on the list of species targeted for eradication; The prime minister is insisting all is well in the coalition as it approaches its… Audio
Did Plunket founder Truby King really believe in eugenics?
King's reputation has taken a battering due to his apparent association with eugenics - but is that fair, asks historian Barbara Brookes.
'Toxic culture': Boris Johnson's government slammed over Covid inaction
Modelling shows that an earlier first lockdown could have prevented 23,000 deaths in England alone, a new report says.
Top US health body adopts Kennedy's anti-vaccine views on revamped website
Scientists took issue with statements on the website that studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.
Postcode lottery rampant in trauma care, specialists say
The South Island is bearing the brunt of a funding shortfall, according to a new Medical Journal editorial, but Health NZ and the minister of health disagree.
ED consultant on what it’s like working with AI tool, ‘Heidi’
ED doctors around the country can now use an AI tool called Heidi to record consultations and generate draft clinical notes and referrals. Scott Boyes, an emergency consultant in Hawke's Bay spoke to… Audio
Quarter of prescription errors picked up pose serious risk
More than one in four prescription errors picked up by pharmacists had a potentially serious risk of harm to patients. Ruth Hill reports. Audio
Government pauses new prescriptions on puberty blockers
Te Manahou Mackay says the life she has today wouldn't have been possible without taking puberty blockers when she was younger. Mackay spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. Audio
Calls for investigation into asbestos contaminated play sand
As schools and homes continue to dispose of asbestos contaminated play sand - the government is being urged to investigate how this happened. Chris Peace, a Senior Lecturer in Workplace Health and… Audio
Home pregnancy, Covid tests may be as accurate as flipping a coin
Pharmac can fund tests for use even when they have not been approved as safe and reliable by Medsafe - something that needs to change, a new study says.
New index challenges common beliefs about drug use and harm in NZ
A common proxy for judging a drug's harm is the extent to which it is linked to dependency.
The Panel with Ali Mau and Mark Knoff-Thomas, Part 1
Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Ali Mau and Mark Knoff-Thomas. First up, the government is hitting pause on puberty blockers, saying the medication is unproven and… Audio
Government move to halt prescriptions for puberty blockers
A move to protect children or state sanctioned harm? The government's upcoming halt on new prescriptions for puberty blockers has provoked strong feelings on both sides of the debate: supporters say… Audio
Kmart sells nearly 70k units of potentially asbestos laced sand
It has been revealed Kmart has sold tens of thousands of potentially asbestos laced children's play things. The retail giant confirmed it has sold 67,000 units of coloured children's sand that are now… Audio
Govt's puberty blockers move attracts strong reactions
Cabinet has signed off on plans to halt new prescriptions for puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, pending the results of a major clinical trial in the United Kingdom, expected in…
Midday Report Essentials for Thursday 20 November 2025
The coalition government has announced a ban on new patients accessing gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues - also known as puberty blockers - from next month; Anti-stalking campaigners are… Audio
