The Government has been accused of undemocratic law-making after a controversial bill was passed without public input and with official advice heavily censored.

A bill which allows people who cared for disabled family members to get paid by the Govt has passed into law a day after being introduced amid protest about its narrow scope, lack of consultation, and possible discrimination.

A legal high lobbyist says synthetic cannabis is a low-risk psychoactive substance that had not caused any death and was statistically safer than alcohol.

When little Lewis Railton was nearly killed by a rare and deadly stroke, his parents knew the road to recovery wouldn't be smooth.

New Zealand communities are battling to rid themselves of synthetic cannabis - with the Government's promised solution months away.

A new killer strain of bird flu terrorising China could pose a risk to New Zealand, a flu expert said today.

A woman whose skin is tearing away from her body is likely to get a transplant overseas after Kiwi specialists declined to carry out the procedure.

Citizens of Auckland and Wellington will be surprised to learn that water fluoridation is still an issue for the rest of the country.

The mood is sombre in the South Taranaki District council chambers. Their decision-making is under scrutiny by concerned locals just a couple of metres away in the public gallery.

"How many die in New Zealand hospitals from bugs they pick up within the health care facilities they've come to to get cured of something else?" asks Brian Rudman.

Four health workers involved in the care of a medical student who died at Auckland City Hospital in 2009 after a wrongful diagnosis can now be named.

Schoolboys as young as 12 could soon be offered protection against sexually transmitted diseases through free vaccine shots.

Kiwi babies look likely to get free vaccinations against chickenpox and rotavirus later this year - up to six years after Australia.

A champion bodybuilder accused of running a nationwide steroid dealing operation has been continuing his crimes while on bail, according to police.

With winter just three months away, the National Influenza Specialist Group aims to have 25 per cent of the population immunised. It is focusing on people who are at risk of being severely affected by the disease.

Government agencies are assessing the legality of a diet that promises people they will lose up to half a kilo a day by using a fertility hormone banned in the US.

A test which could have prevented hospital staff - who were checking the hearing of thousands of newborns - from screening their own ears was not used because it cost too much.

A law change this year means the Ministry of Health can now provide on-the-spot testing of illegal substances at venues across NZ. A number of providers are being trained in the use of reagents and field equipment to prevent harm from illegal drugs. Video / NZ Herald

Parents around the country should be given consistent advice about safe sleeping practices with their newborns.

The parents of a 6-week-old girl who died of whooping cough say they wish they had known the threat to their baby before they took her home from hospital.

A champion bodybuilder accused of running a nationwide steroid dealing operation has pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance today.

An amputee says if it were not for synthetic cannabis he would have to take 27 pills a day for chronic pain.

A man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia tried to kill his brother-in-law days after being released from a mental health unit at Auckland Hospital.