A registered nurse who hung up on callers while working at a government-funded health service has been suspended from working as a nurse for two years.

The Human Rights Commission is calling for a star-rating system that would expose poorly performing rest homes to help families avoid them.

Editorial: Documents for public consumption should be written succinctly and in plain English. Their value is much reduced if this is not done.

You've got to look, listen - and sniff - when choosing a rest home for yourself or your elderly mother or father, experts advise.

Moving in with nine flatmates takes a bit of getting used to when you're 73, says Alison Glen.

At 95, Lilian Robinson is blazing a new path for older Kiwis who want to stay out of rest homes.

An official website providing rest-home audits has been revamped to help people find aged care facilities wherever they live in the country.

About 13 per cent of the country's 5-year-olds have such poor oral health it affects their eating, sleeping and school work, an oral health expert says.

The Ministry of Health's Medsafe has stepped up warnings to GPs about a contraception rod, as thousands of Kiwi women turn to the seemingly trouble-free protection from pregnancy.

More than 20 untested brands of synthetic cannabis are now legally on sale and likely to stay on the shelves well into next year.

Duty-free cigarettes are in the firing line: good news for the Government's tax revenue but bad news for the dwindling numbers of smokers.

Kiwis have cemented their reputation as some of the world's most voracious fast food consumers, with a newly opened Wendy's outlet in the Waikato selling 20,000 burgers in its first week of operation, setting a record for the global chain.

Police were called to the administration block at Invercargill Prison this morning after a letter was discovered to contain white powder.

The number of fast-food outlets on Queen St has grown to at least 42, which critics say is not helping Kiwis' growing waistline or an $80 million facelift and the efforts of city planners to make it NZ's premier retail and business district.

The number of abortions performed has fallen to its lowest rate in almost 20 years,

Damien Grant writes about how caring for a disabled relative must be a great burden on a family.

University of Otago researchers poring over blood samples uncovered a trend in adult New Zealanders that rattled health officials.

The Government's plan of attack for reducing obesity begins before a child is born, or even conceived.

Forcing up tobacco taxes every year is having an effect. It's hitting the price point for many smokers, galvanising their resolve to quit.

The KidsCan charity plans to use money from the child poverty plan announced this week to plug holes in health services.

The Law Society has raised serious concerns about controversial new legislation which would prevent carers of disabled family members from taking legal action.

A pharmacist who was selling unapproved prescription medicines for male erectile dysfunction has been sentenced to four-and-a-half months in prison.