Bringing MRI and mammography to Wānaka: celebrating our expanded clinic

Why access matters 

Until now, many people needing an MRI have had to drive over the Crown Range to Queenstown. For a routine mammogram, it’s meant a trip to Queenstown or to the mobile bus in Clyde. For someone juggling work, school pick-ups or caring for an older parent, that trip can be the difference between booking an appointment and putting it off. 

“People here deserve the same access to imaging as people in the cities,” says Dr Jacquie Copland, Managing Radiologist for Pacific Radiology Otago and Southland. “With MRI and mammography here in Wānaka, someone who needs a scan won’t have to plan their whole day around a trip out of town.”  
 
It also matters for timing. When scans are easier to access, GPs and specialists get answers sooner, and when it comes to diagnosis, time matters. 

Wānaka’s first MRI 

MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the body, without radiation. It’s used to look at everything from joints, spine and sports injuries to the brain and internal organs. That makes it especially useful in an active community like Wānaka. 

The service will add capacity for up to 4,000 more scans a year across the Central Lakes region, helping to ease wait times not just in Wānaka, but right across the district. You can read more about why we’re bringing MRI to the region in our earlier announcement. 

Mammography, close to home 

Our permanent mammography service will offer: 

BreastScreen Aotearoa provides free mammograms every two years for eligible people aged 45 to 69, and the programme is being extended to age 74. To check your eligibility or to enrol, call 0800 270 200, visit breastscreen.govt.nz, or talk to your general practice team. 

Diagnostic breast imaging for people with symptoms will continue to be provided at our Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill clinics. 

Part of the community for the long term 

Our Wānaka clinic is part of the wider Pacific Radiology network across Otago and Southland, including our clinics in Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill. With this expansion, our local team will be supported by radiologists, new admin staff, and our colleagues in Queenstown. 

Being part of Wānaka Lakes Health Centre means patients can have their imaging under the same roof as local GPs and other health services. 

“We’re really grateful to the team at Wānaka Lakes Health Centre and everyone who has supported this project,” says Dr Copland. “Having imaging under the same roof as local GPs and other health services makes things simpler for patients, and that’s exactly what good regional health care should look like.”