Current News

Jonah Lomu needs another transplant

14 February 2012

All Black great Jonah Lomu's transplanted kidney has failed, leaving him needing intensive dialysis and another new kidney to survive.

Boy, 6, waits for new heart

04 January 2012

Tiny Kaden Probst is just 6, yet he needs a new heart.

A change of heart isn’t easy

16 December 2011

It is a warm, spring morning and we are sitting outside on the deck of Greg Baber’s Ohauiti home when he lays his heart on the table.

Donors give second chance at life

09 November 2011

One Saturday afternoon eight years ago a driver took her eyes off the road for six seconds, forever changing the lives of a handful of people.

Miracle baby's double transplant

15 September 2011

An Auckland father says he "couldn't ask for a better present" than his baby daughter being discharged from intensive care this month after a double transplant.

New Heart, New Outlook on Life

26 August 2011

Aaron Coull has a new heart and a new outlook on life.

Anxious Transplant Wait

01 July 2011

Little Madison Cave will only live another year if she doesn't get a liver transplant.

Transplant teen's medals

29 June 2011

Liver transplant patient Matthew Mokoroa was given one month to live when he was nine years old.

Worst Over for Liver-transplant Toddler, says Dad

22 June 2011

Despite a longer stay than expected in the intensive care unit (ICU) for Nelson nine-month-old twin Louie Charles after his liver transplant in Auckland earlier this month, his family say the worst is over.

Brave Transplant Toddler Loses Fight

22 June 2011

An Auckland toddler twice had her kidneys, liver, pancreas and small intestine replaced in transplants, as she fought for life for five long years.

Father Donating Liver to Son

19 May 2011

A Nelson twin with a rare genetic disorder will soon be undergoing the first liver transplant of its kind in New Zealand and Australia – with his father as the live donor.

Donor Heart for David

29 April 2011

An easter miracle arrived for a young father of five waiting for a heart transplant.

Gold Medallist's Gothenburg Goal

01 April 2011

All-round athlete Matthew Mokoroa has his heart set on going for gold again at the World Transplant Games.

Second Chance

29 March 2011

Brent Beaumont was given a second chance at life thanks to a kidney transplant.

A Heartfelt Challenge

18 February 2011

A new heart is taking Ross Forrester places.

Switched-on dad awaits heart transplant

21 January 2011

A Christchurch man is relying on a mechanical heart for his survival while he awaits a heart transplant.

Organ Donation A Waiting Game

17 January 2011

Michelle Manu desperately needs a new kidney.

Outrage Over TVNZ's Heartless Donor Doco Chop

01 December 2010

Organ donor families, recipients and medics are outraged TVNZ has axed an acclaimed local documentary about organ donation because it wasn't winning a ratings game.

The Gift of Life

11 November 2010

Organ donors leave behind one of the greatest gifts of all. "Someone had to die for me to live."

'Privilege' To Save Lives

02 November 2010

A new Kiwi TV series, which began on Wednesday October 27, tells the heartfelt stories of New Zealanders in need of organ transplants.

Traditional beliefs of tikanga Maori - organ donation

27 October 2010

In the fifth edition of the in-depth documentary series Whakatewhatewha, hosts Justine Murray and Maraea Rakuraku explore how the traditional beliefs of tikanga Maori are reconciled with organ donations and transplants.

Situation Critical - New TV Series

14 October 2010

Tune in to TV1 at 8pm on Wednesday October 27, 2010 to see the first episode of a new TV series about organ donation and transplantation.

Have A Heart - Or Two If You're Jake

31 May 2010

Jake Hand keeps his old heart in a bag in his room.

Surgery Pioneer Returns To Teach Students

13 May 2010

For more than a decade, Dunedin-trained surgeon John McCall was one of this country's leading liver transplant specialists. Now he has accepted a new role teaching surgery at the Dunedin School of Medicine and performing surgery at Dunedin Hospital.

The Gift Of Life

12 April 2010

Imagine your beloved, strong, healthy brother was unexpectedly, tragically hit by a distracted driver as he walked along the footpath in the sunshine with his girlfriend.

Swimming Legend Races for ODNZ!

11 March 2010

Paul Kingsman is representing Organ Donation New Zealand (ODNZ) on April 10 when he competes in the Swimming Legends Race for Charity at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Waitakere, Auckland.

A Life-Changing Decision

16 February 2010

It was a brilliantly sunny Saturday in August 2003, and I was humming away to myself as I diced potatoes for that night's dinner. I'd just started on the pumpkin when my husband Paul's work cell phone began to sing on the bench.

Transplant Baby Back Home

28 January 2010

It's been months since Alice has slept in her own bedroom, but the eight-month-old Temuka baby can now enjoy life out of hospital after being discharged this week.

Celebrating the Present that Keeps On Giving

05 January 2010

For nearly a decade, Brian Fearn was hooked up to a dialysis machine for eight hours at a time three times a week. A gift of a kidney changed that.

An Amazing Gift

15 December 2009

Peter Blackmore often thinks of the person whose heart beats in his chest. Understandably so.

Swimming Greats Back in the Pool

11 December 2009

Some of New Zealand's swimming greats will be back in the pool again next year - this time for charity.

Girl's Sight Restored in NZ First

07 December 2009

Natalya Skelton went blind in one eye when she was 3 after suffering a severe complication from a virus.

Kidney Transplant Success Ends 18 Years On Dialysis

24 October 2009

Susi Malota is rediscovering life after being on dialysis for the past 18 years.

Son's Heart Gives Life to Transplant Patient

07 October 2009

Wendy Selby knows the heartbreak that comes from losing a loved one.

Walking'n'Talking

05 October 2009

Over 400 people attended Organ Donation New Zealand's first Walk 'n' Talk at Mount Maunganui on World Day of Organ Donation, October 4.

Brave Julia Wins Gold

23 September 2009

When Julia Woolf was four years old, a complete stranger saved her life.

A World Beater

12 September 2009

Ten-year-old Jayten Tairua has beaten liver and meningococcal diseases and now he's bagged a gold and two silver medals at the 17th World Transplant Games.

Mum Beats Odds With New Heart

11 September 2009

Kim Leslie had a broken heart. But it was the kind of broken heart most women aged 23 never expect to get.

New Heart, New Energy, New Dreams for Jessica

08 September 2009

Invercargill teenager Jessica Ricketts proudly holds her heart in her hand.

Heart Of Gold

07 September 2009

Wanganui heart transplant recipient Jane Towers proved her new heart is worth its weight in gold at last week's World Transplant Games.

Youngster Beats Odds

07 September 2009

Dargaville 10-year-old Jayten Tairua's positive attitude has allowed him to achieve a lot in his short and tumultuous life.

Transplants No Handicap As Athletes Go For Gold

21 August 2009

Two thousand athletes from around the world, with one unusual thing in common, are heading to the Gold Coast to compete in the 17th World Transplant Games.

Transplant Recipient Going to Games

20 August 2009

After a self-confessed "light" training regime, Otago's next international sporting representative is ready to take to the world stage at next week's World Transplant Games.

Gift of Life Sees Bay Teen Hit Sporting High

17 August 2009

For seven months Carol and David Hodge of Pikowai didn't know from one day to the next if their baby daughter Katie would survive.

Media Not Much Help on Organ Donation

04 August 2009

The media are everywhere: infiltrating our minds, our views and our morals. Whenever we want to decide on something, we look to the media, and that's where we go wrong.

Our Daughter Saved 8 Lives

01 July 2009

Ayla Whitaker was a popular young woman who achieved highly in everything she set her mind to.

Liver Donor Lives on in Healthy Little Boy

30 June 2009

A young man's sudden death seven years ago brought new life to a Christchurch baby in desperate need of a liver transplant.

I Was Given a Second Chance at Life

30 June 2009

For 16 years, courageous teenager Amanda Stewart has endured an excruciating waiting game.

So Proud She Helped 5 Lives

04 April 2009

A young Gisborne woman who died yesterday after a serious crash on State Highway 2 north of Wairoa on Saturday has given five others a second chance at life.

Richardson's Donated Organs Will Save Lives

26 March 2009

One of Natasha Richardson's final legacies will be as a poster-girl for organ donation after her family allowed doctors to keep her organs for those whose lives they could save.

Life Giving Donations

12 March 2009

A decline in organ donors because of fewer fatal car accidents has led doctors to use "creative thinking" and create a new protocol for those they will remove organs from.

Little Jack's 7 Gifts of Life

23 February 2009

The photo of young Jack Bebbington shows him with a huge grin as he carries an armful of gifts for his little sister Aimee's birthday.

A Donor Saved Me as I Lay Dying

16 February 2009

Michelle Fisken will never forget the moment she was told her only child Hayden was going to die.

Life Better After Kidney Donation

05 January 2009

Last March, the Otago Daily Times visited Jason McGregor in Dunedin Hospital while he was undergoing dialysis four times a week, for up to five hours each time.

A Kidney in Time for Christmas

13 December 2008

Christmas has come early for Brian Fearn and his family with his nine-year wait for a kidney transplant coming to an end.

Teen on Top of World

12 December 2008

Joseph Stevens has alread been given the best Christmas present possible - his life.

Gift of Life

11 December 2008

Paul Sommer had been on dialysis for a year, almost to the day, when he received a phone call telling him there was a suitable kidney available for transplant.

Jack's Gift

11 December 2008

The Drury boy's family decided to donate his organs after his recent death and now they want to encourage more people to think about becoming organ donors.

First the Transplant Then the Medals

04 December 2008

Lesley Johnstone owes her life to a stranger.

The Reluctant Donors

08 May 2008

Helen Stewart is an exceptional woman. Literally. She's the exception to the rule that New Zealanders don't donate their loved one's organs.

Life After Death

03 May 2008

On an autumn day in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, a 50 something Maori man meets, for the first time, a Pakeha woman in her late 30's. She lifts her hand and rests it on his chest and, feeling his heart beating strongly within, she cries.

Donor's Legacy of Life

19 March 2008

Oakura woman Andrea Needham will never forget the phone call that changed her life.

Grateful for New Kidney

18 February 2008

Each day since her life-saving transplant, Lynsey Farra has been in touch with the woman who gave her a new life.

True Friendship...and a Kidney

26 January 2008

The bonds of friendship will be ever intertwined for two Christchurch women with the greatest gift of a new life.

Donations Up as Organ Guidelines Revised

12 January 2008

Organ donation numbers have risen after plunging to a record low in 2006.

Hearty Effort for 20 Years

09 January 2008

New Zealand's Heart and Lung Transplant Service celebrated 20 years of heart tranplants and reached a milestone of 200 transplants this month.

Donor Organs Offer a New Lease of Life

08 January 2008

Within a minute of getting together, the three of them are discussing drugs.

Patient's Plea From Heart

22 November 2007

Marcella Russell moved to the country to die.

Boys Death Offers Life to Others

13 November 2007

The mother of a boy killed in Waipu five years ago, is telling her son's story to try to lift New Zealand's low organ donation rate.

Transplant Patient Dies 38 Years On

12 November 2007

New Zealand's longest survivng kidney transplant patient has died.

Death Gives Life to Ailing Pair

19 July 2007

The sudden death of a southland racing identity has given new life to two seriously ill men on either side of the Tasman.

Transplant Mum Tells of Organ Donor's Gift of Life

07 July 2007

Debbie Eaton looked at 600 faces in the cathedral as she spoke. Some smiled and nodded their heads in agreement, while others dabbed at their eyes with a hankie.

Donor's Legacy of Life

19 March 2003

Oakura woman Andrea Needham will never forget the phone call that changed her life.

Ruby's Story

To me it's simple - if you're prepared to take then it's only right that you should be prepared to give.