Welcome to our March 2026 issue of Channel Mag. Another outstanding issue highlighting positive things happening on the Shore.

Our cover for this issue takes a medical theme, celebrating the investment in new technology by a Takapuna-based business. Leading Kiwi skin cancer specialist and surgeon Dr Richard Martin is launching Skinscape 360 – an advanced 3D whole-body imaging system for early melanoma detection. Their new offering combines cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence and clinical expertise to give patients access to world-class melanoma detection. Being a (touch wood!) melanoma survivor myself, I am well aware of the importance of early detection.
In this issue, we also have a focus on retirement living north of the Harbour Bridge. Is there a better place to retire in New Zealand? We think not, when you add up the lifestyle villages on offer and closeness to medical care.
15 years after first profiling local pharma business AFT Pharmaceuticals, I chat once again with founder Hartley Atkinson. It is truly heartwarming that we have a local Takapuna business taking on the world in such a high-tech business sector. It’s a great story. Hartley and his wife, Marree, first launched AFT from a spare room off their garage. They now operate in many different parts of the world, but Takapuna firmly remains their base.
This month, we catch up with a range of local residents who are never far from a book; readers and writers who share with Channel Mag where their passion for reading came from, their favourite books and what storytelling means to them. Hand in hand with this feature, Christine Young talked to Rachel Panossian of The Booklover bookshop in Milford, a much-loved local institution, a magnet for bibliophiles of all ages and interests. Rachel purchased the business in 2025.
Derek Dallow is a person who many readers will know. I always enjoy catching up with Derek. When in business on the Shore a couple of decades ago, he was one of our biggest supporters with regard to starting a publication like Channel Mag to celebrate all the North Shore has to offer. He was also an active contributor to the conversation and debate when the Auckland Super City was being formed prior to 2010. This month, he wanted to share his opinion on the governance of Auckland. It’s a thought-provoking piece.
Have a great month.

Aidan Bennett, QSM
Publisher, Channel Magazine
Founder and Managing Director, Benefitz
aidan@benefitz.co.nz