Bringing advanced PET-CT imaging closer to home for Manawatū
Bringing advanced PET-CT imaging closer to home for ManawatūManawatū patients will soon have easier access to advanced diagnostic imaging, with the region’s first permanent PET CT scanner opening at Canopy Imaging’s Grey Street clinic in Palmerston North. This new service is a major step forward for local cancer care and specialist imaging across the lower North Island.
For many people navigating a cancer diagnosis or other serious health concern, the journey begins with clarity — and that clarity often comes from imaging. Until now, accessing a PET CT scan has meant travelling outside Manawatū or waiting for a visiting mobile service. From 10 August, that will change.
What the new PET CT service means for patients
The permanent PET CT service allows patients and their whānau to receive essential imaging closer to home, reducing travel, disruption and stress during an already challenging time. It strengthens local access to high quality diagnostic care and supports faster, more coordinated treatment planning.
What is PET CT imaging?
PET CT (Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography) combines two powerful imaging techniques in a single scan. It provides clinicians with detailed information about:
• How the body is functioning
• What is happening structurally
This makes PET CT a key tool in cancer diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring, and it can also support assessment for certain cardiac and neurological conditions.
A purpose built space designed around patient comfort
Canopy Imaging’s new PET CT clinic has been designed with patients at the centre of every decision. The facility includes:
• Private uptake rooms with dedicated bathroom facilities
• A calm, non clinical environment
• Advanced imaging technology
• Spaces that support comfort, privacy and dignity throughout the appointment
Before opening, Canopy Imaging invited local healthcare professionals to tour the clinic and provide feedback on referral pathways, communication processes, funding options and the overall patient experience. Their insights are already shaping how the service will operate.
Dr Jaco van der Walt, Lead Radiologist for Manawatū/Horowhenua, says:
“We want this service to reflect the needs of the community it serves. The feedback we’ve received from local clinicians is already helping shape how the service will operate for patients across Manawatū and the wider region.”
Strengthening specialist imaging across regional New Zealand
The new PET CT service builds on Canopy Imaging’s long-standing presence in Manawatū and reflects its commitment to bringing specialist diagnostic services closer to regional communities. It also draws on experience from Canopy Imaging’s established PET CT service in Hawke’s Bay, ensuring patients benefit from proven processes and high quality care.
