New Zealand / Health Zaroa NZ pulls all batches of three salami products over missing safety controls Food safety regulator says the salami was made without required oversight; products aren’t in supermarkets and no illnesses have been reported.
Health / Government Rapid-build 28-bed ward under way at Nelson Hospital to keep seismic work moving The unit is designed to decant services during redevelopment, with off-site fabrication and six months of on-site construction planned.
Government / Health WorkSafe opens investigation into Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park over pre-landslide safety The regulator will examine health and safety at the park in the period before the 22 January landslide.
Government / Health Four new appointments to the Nursing Council, including two lay members Health Minister Simeon Brown has named two lay and two practitioner members to the nursing regulator, with terms starting today.
Health / Government Defence opens first combined health and rehab centre at Burnham Camp The $22m Tû Manawa Ora facility brings medical, dental, rehabilitation and mental health services under one roof, with the Minister saying it will support prevention, recovery and operational readiness.
Government / Health Pharmac moves to fund first‑line CLL drug combinations, with option to keep treatment in private clinics The plan would add venetoclax‑based therapies from May 2026, reduce reliance on chemotherapy, and let some patients continue funded care with existing private providers.
Health / New Zealand Pharmac proposes funding first-line combination therapies for CLL from May 2026 The drug‑buying agency is consulting on funding venetoclax with ibrutinib, and venetoclax with obinutuzumab, as initial treatment options for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
New Zealand / Health Government funds seven grassroots mental health projects for earlier support Top Up grants back initiatives for young families, women, Pacific youth and rural groups, tied to the Five Ways to Wellbeing campaign.
Health / Government Pharmac widens hospital access to Monofer as Venofer supply ends in March The agency will fund ferric derisomaltose for people who’ve had serious reactions to other iron infusions, with about 100 patients a year expected to benefit.
Government / Health APEX members ratify new collective agreement for Health New Zealand pharmacists Around 300 Health NZ-employed pharmacists will shift to a new deal after an APEX vote; the Minister says it’s aimed at workforce stability, with key details yet to be released.
New Zealand / Health Record low share of births to under-25s as mothers’ median age rises to 31.7 Stats NZ says 1 in 7 births in 2025 were to women under 25, half the share of a generation ago, while births to mothers 35+ have doubled since 1995.
Health / New Zealand Masonic Court breached care standards in 97-year-old’s final weeks, Commissioner rules The Aged Care Commissioner found inadequate assessment, planning and family communication; the rest home must apologise, train staff and audit recent end-of-life cases.
