Children
Adoption law reform "long overdue"
The country's outdated adoption legislation is set for an overhaul by the Ministry of Justice, which admits the law hasn't kept up with modern life and families. Improving access to birth families… Audio
Beauty Expectations
Photoshop, Facetune, airbrushes, filters – there are SO many options for altering and adjusting digital images.
But are we editing our appearance too much? And what impact does it have? Audio
Number of teens leaving school early up
The number of teenagers leaving school early has jumped. Almost one in five school leavers in 2021 was under the age of 17, the highest figure in a decade.
One of the worst-affected areas is Taranaki… Audio
Effort needed to increase childhood vaccination rates - expert
Health experts are warning that a big effort is needed to turn around plummeting childhood vaccination rates.
Internationally, first dose vaccinations for measles are at their lowest in more than a… Audio
NZ under-5s regularly consuming takeaways, sugary drinks - new report
Under-five-year-olds in Aotearoa are regularly having sugary drinks as well as eating takeaways including chips and other deep fried foods. But they're coming up short for fruit and vegetables.
The… Video, Audio
No fruit could help babies like vegetables
It's one of the great household struggles - getting a child to eat their veggies.
But new research shows that introducing a baby to only vegetables as their first solid foods - so no fruit - may help… Audio
Schools struggling with dropping relief teacher numbers
School principals have been vocal in their warnings about the health and wellbeing of children and staff this winter, after the third term began yesterday.
But new data revealed by the Educational… Audio
'A long time coming': Widespread cruelty, abuse of disabled people detailed
After eight days of harrowing testimonies, the country should be ashamed at how survivors of disability, deaf and mental health institutional care were treated, an IHC worker says.
Starship Children's hospital fundraising for Starship Trust
The Starship Foundation has started a fundraising appeal so it can do more to support sick kids right around the country. Nathan Rarere spoke with Starship Childrens Hospital's clinical director of… Audio
Wellingtonians love their baby talk
A new study has found that Wellingtonians are big into their baby-talk! The research found that many people around the world naturally pitch up their voices when they talk and sing to babies, but no… Audio
Pandemic leads to sustained backslide in childhood vaccinations - Unicef
The agency is warning of dire health implications after about 25 million children globally missed out on routine immunisations last year.
Slang
What’s good? Howzit? What’s up and Churrrr! It’s time to get some education on the origins of some ‘Choice as' sayings. Audio
'I could never forgive them' - Former state ward on neglect, abuse
Horrific stories of abuse continue to emerge at the Royal Commission Inquiry into disability, deaf, and mental health institutional care.
Common childhood sound errors and how to correct
Kathryn discusses the most common sound errors among school children with speech and language therapist Christian Wright. He says it's the production of the TH sounds which causes most of the… Audio
Calls for carbon dioxide meters in every classroom
Nearly 85 percent of classrooms across the country don't have their own carbon dioxide monitor.
RNZ's 'Whose Breath Are You Breathing?' project revealed that on a cold day, when classroom windows… Audio
Iconic Aotearoa
From the Silver Fern to pavlova, the Buzzy Bee to L&P, let’s take a look at Iconic Aotearoa! Audio
One-in-four NZ pre-schoolers developmentally delayed - study
A study has found large socio-economic and ethnic inequities in children's developmental health status before they reached school age - and the lead researcher says the findings show the need to…
Report finds dental decay issues rife among kids
Young children don't have much to smile about when dealing with the dental system.
A paper out of Otago University says urgent and redical change is needed to address the declining dental health of… Audio
Petition asks govt rethink changes to Childrens Commissioner
A petition against a new law which would end the role of Children's Commissioner accuses the government of not listening to the voice of those who have been through the state care system.
The… Audio