Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northland Age

New technology delivers faster diagnoses

By Peter Jackson
Northland Age·
28 Aug, 2020 03:40 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mauri Ora Breast Clinic radiologists Kim Shepherd and Anthea Wild using the new ultrasound machine. Photo / Supplied

Mauri Ora Breast Clinic radiologists Kim Shepherd and Anthea Wild using the new ultrasound machine. Photo / Supplied

Northland women who have been waiting to find out if they have a breast cancer diagnosis have benefited from a new ultrasound machine, thanks to a $52,000 donation from the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Mauri Ora Breast Clinic service manager Barb Miller said the installation of the machine at Whangārei Mauri Ora Breast Clinic was helping to meet growing demand for breast screening, which had increased by 45 per cent since the clinic opened in 2006.

Chief executive of BCFNZ, Evangelia Henderson, said she was thrilled that the charity had been able to respond to the Northland DHB's urgent appeal to fund half of the $104,000 machine.

"Receiving a timely diagnosis is crucial to improving your chance of surviving breast cancer, as it means you can start on treatment sooner, so this new machine will make a real difference for people in Northland," she said.

Miller said the new technology represented a major advance.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Before the new machine was installed in February, if the one machine we had broke down, patients were sent home until the technician arrived from Auckland," she said.

"A large percentage of our population are from the Mid and Far North. Some of these women travel large distances to their appointment, and if it was cancelled they would have to come back, which could delay their diagnosis."

Radiologist Kim Shepherd said having the additional ultrasound had been especially helpful during their Thursday assessment clinics.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Patients often need longer ultrasound appointments than anticipated. Before, we were conscious that patients were sitting in the waiting room and often stressed. Now we can spend the extra time assessing, knowing the other radiologist can get on with other appointments using the second machine," she said.

The new ultrasound also provided more functionality and better picture quality, which Shepherd said was important for large-breasted women, and vital in Northland.

Miller said the clinic was "exceptionally grateful" for the foundation's donation.

"Women comment on how well cared for they feel coming through the assessment clinic and what a difference it makes, so this has made it even better," she said.

More than 160 Northlanders were diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and around 25 died of the disease.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

Far North talent shines as Smokefreerockquest returns to Kerikeri

07 Jul 02:00 AM
Northland Age

Eight Northland stores caught selling vapes to under-18s in compliance test

06 Jul 11:09 PM
Northland Age

Far North news briefs: Foodbank closes, focus on vape harm, and kai resilience boost

02 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northland Age

Far North talent shines as Smokefreerockquest returns to Kerikeri

Far North talent shines as Smokefreerockquest returns to Kerikeri

07 Jul 02:00 AM

Local act Bandwith Riot won first place.

Eight Northland stores caught selling vapes to under-18s in compliance test

Eight Northland stores caught selling vapes to under-18s in compliance test

06 Jul 11:09 PM
Far North news briefs: Foodbank closes, focus on vape harm, and kai resilience boost

Far North news briefs: Foodbank closes, focus on vape harm, and kai resilience boost

02 Jul 05:00 PM
On The Up: Youth gym transforms lives, offers more than just exercise

On The Up: Youth gym transforms lives, offers more than just exercise

02 Jul 12:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP