As technology changes, so does medical diagnosis
It’s here where modern imaging is coming into its own. For hard-to-find diseases like prostate cancer, MRI scans help ensure a correct diagnosis, explains Mercy Radiology’s Medical Director Dr Remy Lim, who specialises in interpreting prostate MRI scans. ‘‘It’s the only way you can have a really good look at the prostate itself and pick up lymph nodes and possible cancers.’’ Because of its hard-to-reach location, traditional prostate biopsies could miss certain areas and provide false reassurance. Previously, patients diagnosed with low grade cancer on biopsy who opted for ‘active surveillance’ had to rely on MRI to confirm no aggressive lesions had been missed. However, with the improvement of MRI, there’s a growing international trend to scan first. As Dr Lim notes, this gives the urologist a ‘‘roadmap’’ to find the cancer and can also potentially help patients avoid unneeded biopsies.
‘‘A landmark study in The Lancet (medical journal) last year estimates that 27 per cent of men could avoid having a biopsy altogether.’’ In more serious cases, it’s equally useful for getting a correct diagnosis. Dr Lim recalls one case where a patient was referred for an MRI and a potentially aggressive lesion was detected. A biopsy was performed with a normal result, but because of the worrying MRI result, they decided to perform a prostate cancer PET-CT scan.
For this patient, his PET-CT result confirmed the MRI. This meant a repeat biopsy was needed, from which the cancer was eventually confirmed. ‘‘If we had performed just a biopsy without the MRI, the cancer would have remained undiagnosed, would have grown and potentially killed the patient.’’ Because of its invaluable services, access to MRI is critical. To meet this need, Mercy Radiology recently installed a new MRI scanner in Silverdale, serving a growing community between Albany and Whangarei who would have previously had to travel far to get scanned. ‘‘Instead of getting people to come into the city, we wanted to have the technology come to them,’’ Dr Lim says. ‘‘It fits our ambition to ensure we’re focusing on what patients need.’’
See Mercy Radiology at Silverdale Medical Centre, 7 Polarity Rise.
Phone 0800 497297 or visit www.radiology.co.nz.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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54.3% Human-centred experience and communication
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13.8% Critical thinking
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29.3% Resilience and adaptability
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2.6% Other - I will share below!
Whangarei Film Society - screenings for Thursday February 26th, 2026
Good People
Welcome to 2026!
The film night for our first WFS screening for the year will be on Thursday 26th February in the Capitaine Bougainville Theatre at Forum North, 7 Rust Ave Whangarei.
Please note: There will be one screening only for the evening. It will follow the WFS AGM at 6pm.
We will be screening the NZ doco, Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke at 7:15pm.
Thanks to all for your continued support of WFS and hope to see you there.
NOT ONLY FRED DAGG BUT ALSO JOHN CLARKE
New Zealand, 2025, Documentary, 103 mins
Cast: Sam Neill, Ben Elton, Bryan Dawe
Director: Lorin Clarke
When satirist John Clarke died in 2017, the world mourned an icon. He was a defining comedic voice who wrote and appeared in numerous films and TV productions, and who – in a beloved double act with Bryan Dawe – skewered political hypocrisy for almost 30 years on current affairs shows.
In a series of recorded conversations with his daughter, writer/director Lorin Clarke, John traces his steadfast resistance to authority back to his childhood and offers delightful insights into his four decades in the entertainment industry.
Weaving together personal anecdotes, a rich television archive, tales from international comedy greats and riches from Clarke’s work and letters, this is a deeply personal insight into a legend of the antipodean screen and a tribute to the disruptive power of creativity.
"In New Zealand, he was bigger than The Beatles." - Sam Neill
Showing at Forum North, 7 Rust Ave Whangarei on Thursday, 26th February at 7:15pm following the WFS AGM at 6pm.
View the trailer at: www.youtube.com...
Tickets: Door sales only. $10 WFS members. Non-members pay $5 extra as an Associate Membership fee per film (Total of $15).
WFS members from 2025 who register and attend the WFS AGM will be admitted to the film screening that night for free.
All welcome. Cash only please – NO EFTPOS AVAILABLE.
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