National

The new RNZ-Reid Research Poll shows the political race has tightened since the election, but the coalition parties are still clinging on to a slim lead.

A 69-year-old woman was treated for depression at her rest home, when she actually had a stroke.

There were tears of relief - mingled with frustration - among staff at the National Public Health Service today at the news Health NZ had abandoned plans for further job cuts and restructuring.

A man who grabbed his partner by the throat, "lined her up", and then delivered a series of savage blows is about to be shipped back to New Zealand from Australia, the country he has called home for the past 10 years.

Investigations are continuing into a dog attack that killed a four-year-old boy in the Bay of Plenty, as his family face "an unimaginable loss".

Most NZers are not aware of the limited amounts that people on a benefit receive, and that is adding to an increased fracturing of our society, one researcher says.