Articles in ‘Health’

New figures reveal a growing burden of respiratory disease on New Zealand families, hospitals and the economy, with children and older people particularly affected. The scale of the increase demands more than additional funding: it demands a transparent examination of what is driving the illness, which interventions are working and whether important explanations have been overlooked. Report by eLocal · New Zealand recorded 97,151 respiratory…

New York has declared a statewide disaster emergency as the United States confronts its largest measles resurgence in decades. The outbreak is also relevant to New Zealand, where health authorities acknowledge that immunisation coverage remains below the level considered necessary to prevent sustained transmission INR Report: Based on reporting by RT and verified against official US and New Zealand public-health data. · New York Governor Kathy…

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has placed New Zealand among a small group of countries unwilling to endorse a United Nations pandemic declaration, despite most of his Cabinet colleagues favouring support. The decision raises questions extending beyond public health: who controls New Zealand's international commitments, how far coalition agreements reach, and whether the country's foreign policy is moving closer to the sovereignty-focused…

Dr Guy Hatchard warns that New Zealand's worsening health crisis cannot be resolved through increased funding and policy changes alone. Citing overcrowded hospitals, rising illness and growing healthcare pressures, he questions the impact of modern pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, processed foods and mRNA vaccines. While welcoming proposed health reforms, Hatchard argues that prevention, improved nutrition, exercise, meditation and personal…

An Indian court petition is challenging public-health authorities to demonstrate the scientific foundations of germ theory, prompting a dispute over evidence and the limits of judicial intervention. New Zealand researchers have reportedly joined the proceedings, bringing the case into a wider international debate about scientific accountability Report by eLocal · An unusual legal challenge in India has attracted international attention after a…

The following is an opinion piece by attorney Aaron Siri. It is republished as commentary and reflects the author’s claims and interpretation of the cited whistleblower litigation and outbreak data. By Aaron Siri | 25 September 2026 · On the topic of splitting up the MMR vaccine into 3 separate vaccines, everyone should know that in 2012, two Merck virologists came forward and explained that when Merck sought to change the label on its MMR…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says his party will not be intimidated by people holding what he calls “anti-science” views after protesters confronted health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall in Wellington. But five years after New Zealand's vaccination mandates, the political use of that label now collides with a more complicated scientific and official record than existed at the height of the pandemic. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by RNZ…

Dr Robert Malone argues that soaring rates of reported mental-health problems among women may reflect something broader than an epidemic of psychiatric disease. Drawing together surveys on diagnosis, life satisfaction, loneliness and global mental-health burden, he asks whether modern culture and the medical system itself is increasingly turning ordinary human distress into pathology. eLocal Report: Based on commentary and research presented by…

New Zealand’s alcohol consumption has fallen to its lowest recorded level, with younger generations increasingly turning away from drinking and low- or no-alcohol alternatives gaining ground. The shift may be positive from a health perspective, but it comes as hospitality businesses face rising costs, widespread closures and profound changes in how younger New Zealanders socialise. eLocal Report: Based on reporting by Adam Burns for RNZ HERE ·…

Bread looks simple: flour, water, yeast and salt. Yet many supermarket loaves contain considerably more — including oils, sugars, emulsifiers, acidity regulators, enzymes and flour-treatment agents. A Kiwi Food Truth video argues that this makes much of New Zealand's bread aisle an industrial product rather than “real bread”, while recommending three simpler alternatives. The ingredient question is legitimate; some of the video's wider health…