Welcome to the New Zealand Heart Foundation

Do you know your heart age?

My Heart Check is a free, online heart health check. It uses your personal risk factors to assess your heart age and gives you tips for reducing risk.

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Staying well with heart failure

My Heart Check

Call the Heart Line

Our purpose: to stop all people in New Zealand dying prematurely from heart disease and enable people with heart disease to live full lives

195,000

people in New Zealand are currently living with heart disease

That's more than one in 23 adults [1]

30%

Almost 30% of deaths in NZ are caused by cardiovascular disease

It is the leading cause of death in New Zealand and includes heart, stroke and blood vessel disease [2]

90 mins

Every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease

Many of these deaths are premature and preventable [2]

$99m

The Heart Foundation has invested into research since 1968

I have a heart condition

I want a healthy lifestyle

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News & Stories

9 April 2026 in Media Releases

Go the distance for Kiwi hearts: MyMarathon 2026

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.

Can a pet improve heart health?

There's something quietly powerful about coming home to a wagging tail or a purring cat after a long day. For many of us, a pet is simply whānau. But research shows that the bond we share with our animals may go beyond the warm fuzzies – it could also help our hearts too.

‘Second chance at life’: How brothers saved Henry from sudden cardiac arrest

When Maketu coastguard volunteer Henry Samson flew to the UK for his father’s 90th birthday in 2024, he never imagined his brothers, and two strangers, would end up saving his life.

Thanks to our amazing supporters, in 2025 we were able to invest $4.2 million in vital research projects and training for cardiologists.

Your donation will save lives

Donate now