Health authorities have renewed warnings to take care on Auckland beaches after three more dogs became seriously ill.

Licensing tobacco retailers and turning cigarette packs into plain packages bearing only health warnings is among five new proposals to reduce smoking.

Many people with heart failure are getting ineffective treatment and face an increased risk of dying, a global study says. The NZ Ministry of Health agrees with the findings.

Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis would receive subsidies to buy healthy foods under a new system proposed by a Govt commissioned study.

Laboratory company blamed after GP kept waiting 16 days for cancer patient's results.

Delays at Labtests' blood collection centres are being attributed in part to the company not knowing which centres patients would go to.

The Auckland Regional Health Service warns poisoning is still possible at Auckland beaches, but lifts its warning on people going to the beach.

There are reports a man is wandering around the burns unit at Middlemore Hospital with a knife.

St John is investigating whether slow response times contributed to the deaths of three patients.