Media Releases

A major international research effort has kicked off to improve treatment for a rare cause of heart attacks that mainly affects women, with New Zealand playing an important role.

High blood pressure is quietly putting more than a million New Zealanders at risk of heart disease - and many don’t know it.

The Heart Foundation’s newly released position statement on cooking fats and oils confirms that the best fats and oils for our hearts come from plant sources that are lower in saturated fats.

Heart disease affects one in 23 New Zealand adults – but every step you take this May can help change that. Kiwis are lacing up their trainers as MyMarathon returns for 2026, inviting people of all ages and fitness levels to walk, jog, or run 42 km (or more) throughout the month to support lifesaving heart research.

This February, the Big Heart Appeal returns with inspiring stories from New Zealanders and an urgent call to fund life-saving heart research.

US $10 million (NZD $17 million) funding will support trial to identify opportunities for earlier heart disease prevention for women.

The Heart Foundation has announced a new opportunity for health professionals as part of its annual funding for heart research and professional training, to improve the heart health of all New Zealanders.

Professor Sir Jim Mann has been welcomed as a Life Member of the Heart Foundation.

Without most of us noticing, our daily bread has become healthier.

Big-hearted volunteers will be out in full force in February 2026 as part of the Heart Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Big Heart Appeal.

Heart research is entering a thrilling new era. Advanced technology can pinpoint problems faster, cutting-edge techniques can repair hearts more precisely, and sophisticated diagnostic tools are reshaping how we identify, treat and even prevent heart disease.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects a million New Zealanders and is the single biggest risk factor for New Zealand’s biggest killer - heart disease.