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Improving lives through heart research

 

2025 research grants announced.

 

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

180,000
people in New Zealand are currently living with heart disease

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

1 in 3
Almost 1 in 3 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]

$95m
The Heart Foundation has invested into research since 1968

News & Stories

29 September 2025 in Media Releases

Funding Innovation: Heart Foundation’s 2025 research grants announced

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.

9 September 2025 in Blogs

Are 10,000 steps best for your heart? What new science says

For decades, the goal of taking 10,000 steps a day has been widely promoted as a simple way to boost heart health and overall wellbeing. But is this still the magic number or are 7,000 steps enough? Find out what the latest research recommends.

30 June 2025 in Stories

New research into the impact of diabetes on cardiovascular disease could benefit thousands of New Zealanders

A researcher from the University of Auckland’s Bioengineering Institute has been granted a three-year A. H. Couch Trust Heart Foundation Scholarship to investigate how diabetes significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular complications – a move that could one day benefit thousands of New Zealanders’ health.