Patients seeking medical cannabis for pain relief will no longer need to get approval from a minister, the Government confirmed this morning.

The Government appears set to remove a hurdle to getting access to medicinal cannabis in New Zealand.

Protesters want the legalisation of medicinal marijuana to be an election issue.

An autistic advocacy group says a 4four-year jail term for a Blenheim mother who killed her autistic daughter was "nowhere near enough". Autistic

A warning not to eat chilled oysters harvested from north of Auckland has been issued, as they may be contaminated with a gastro bug.

Midwives have complained that a lack of safe transfers from Central Otago and Queenstown to main centres is putting "women and babies at risk".

A high-tech tobacco product launched in New Zealand by Philip Morris is illegal, the Ministry of Health says.

A new awareness campaign about the HPV immunisation programme at schools was launched today.

Watch NZ Herald Focus: Henry Vaeoso is honouring the late Jonah Lomu with community driven aerobics.

The number of deceased organ donations and transplants has risen sharply in the past four years, says Organ Donation New Zealand.

Ministry to "review its position" on financial penalties to DHBs for strike-induced surgery delays.

Northland DHB risks losing $1.5 million in elective surgery funding, chief doctor says

Pulse-oximetry is a quick, painless and safe test for oxygen levels in the blood

Watch NZH Focus: Quitline had its busiest day yet this week as the price of cigarettes went up again.

The product remains a mystery, with the ad saying it was important the "innovative technology" be kept under wraps until the launch.

Many women who do the recommended amount of exercise may be harming themselves by eating too little, a survey indicates.

New research has found babies are safe to sleep in a Maori flax-woven bassinet that was behind a controversial Government policy U-turn

Doctors are at loggerheads over changes to New Zealand's cervical screening programme, with one saying more women will die.

An optometrist who failed to diagnose a retinal detachment in a patient which can lead to blindness did not show "reasonable care and skill", the Health and Disability Commission has ruled.

A report on failures within the government's first social bonds pilot blames them on a lack of expertise from the bureaucrats involved.

Tobacco companies are flouting ad bans by rewarding retailers who push products using a specific sequence of magic words.

A good sleep may be an early step towards preventing later obesity.

As 2016 draws to a close, the NZ Science Media Centre picked some of the biggest national and international science stories that made headlines

What will prisoners be eating for Christmas dinner in New Zealand this year? Corrections have released the annual menu for its 10,000 inmates.

The Cannabis Party's plans to offer exclusive tours to California to buy legal cannabis have been thwarted by Ministry of Health advice.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has declared his bid for Deputy Prime Minister.

The contest for New Zealand's next PM is shaping up as a race between an veteran politician, a lower-profile minister, and a wild card.

Waikato DHB breached national targets in October and November for the number of patients waiting too long to see a specialist.

Many Kiwis affected by the 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake will need "significant ongoing psychological support", the PM's chief science adviser says.

COMMENT: In some parts of the world, girls are forced to miss school when they have their periods. Places like Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia and. . . New Zealand.