20 | REGIONAL New Plymouth Vet Group Decades of dedication to sick and injured animals The whole New Plymouth Vet Group team is enormously proud of their collective experience, with half the vet staff having graduated more than 10 years ago and a quarter more than 20 years ago. T T Sue Russell “I see the stress that our vets go through every day, I see the struggles we have, the conflicts we see every day and I see the effect on the young and old ones.” Head vet of New Plymouth Vet Group, Rob Mills, says the journey of the business, now extending back some 75 years, very much echoes the developments first seen in New Zealand’s farming sector coupled with how veterinary sciences have evolved over time. The practice opened back in 1951, primarily to support local farmers and make veterinary care accesssible. Rob joined the practice in 1980 and has led the practice through a number of changes as technology and research have advanced over the decades. Now he has stepped back a little from the clinic’s day-to-day life to focus on his current role as president of the NZ Veterinary Association, an organisation he feels a strong connection to. Having been part of New Plymouth Vet Group’s development through such a significant number of its years, Rob, who holds a Master of Veterinary Medicine (Dinstinction) from Massey University, recalls huge changes back in the ’80s to mid-’90s. When he joined as a young vet there were just six staff in the clinic; today, that number has swelled to 60 skilled professionals, many focusing on particular specialties. “That’s because in those really early days all we did was dairy work,” Rob says. “We had over 100 farms and each farm had about 100 cows. Today, we still see that number of cows, but it’s about 40 farms, and dairying is now 25% of our business, with the balance being care for town patients.” The move to the existing site in Devon Street in the mid-’60s and the growth in the practice as new disciplines evolved have been added to with some major redevelopments, including two expansions and purchase of the building next door back in 2010. Today, every inch of the premises are used to deliver the practice’s broad array of services. Fifteen years ago, New Plymouth Vet Group established a specialised first-aid triage centre offering care for wild birds. Rob, along with vet nurse Averil Osbourne, describes this as a “passion project”, and it’s one of the clinic’s greatest satisfactions. Rob’s long and distinguished commitment to conservation and wildlife care resulted in a Queen’s Birthday Honour in 2022, when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The award reflected Rob’s more than 20 years’ care of injured birda. “The contribution to wildlife rescue is something the entire community can enjoy, working with the expert guidance of DOC and WReNNZ (Wildlife Rehabilitators Network of New Zealand), we are grateful that our team is so dedicated to helping each creature that the public brings in,” says staff member Tineke Duyvestyn. The Vet Group has seen many members of staff beginning their journey in the customer care team or supportive roles, and going off to study and come back as vets or vet nurses. This kind of dedication is valued in a career that can be incredibly stressful and often heartbreaking. Having a supportive team makes all the difference, and that difference can be felt in the care the Vet Group provides to all animals that come to visit. “I see the stress that our vets go through every day, I see the struggles we have, the conflicts we see every day and I see the effect on the young and old ones,” Rob says. He’s very proud of the broad and deep array of capabilities New Plymouth Vet Group has built through the years, saying the practice has also offered vets, nurses and support staff in training, a supportive and engaging environment to hone their professional skills. The whole New Plymouth Vet Group team is enormously proud of their collective experience, with half the vet staff having graduated more than 10 years ago and a quarter more than 20 years ago. “We see our staff starting early in roles at reception, and becoming so impassioned with the industry, they go on to study veterinary medicine, or vet nursing. “They so often come back to us too, which creates a definite sense of family and closeness in our team. This is so important in the vet world, which can be at times heartbreaking and incredibly stressful,” says Tineke. “There is something incredibly special about a business of this size having such a high rate of staff retention. “This really reflects what we have learned about the team’s care and dedication to animal care Each staff member is not just highly trained and experienced, but deeply passionate about the service they provide to the community. “It means we can offer the depth of knowledge and experience to really support the next generation of veterinarian professionals to find their feet in a modern practice environment and that’s a wonderful position to be in.” It also means their clients get to stay with the same nurses and vets over a pet’s whole lifetime, which creates a unique and valuable experience. To make a fine vet, Rob says, above all its the ability to be a good listener, and a great observer of people just as much as their pets. “A pet can’t tell me, but it can show me, if I am open to real observation, and just as much it’s about reading the stress of the pet’s owner and managing this in a sympathetic, understanding way, while still being objective and sometimes making the tough calls that are needed.” With 75 years of history in practising veterinary medicine, and an exciting future with new technologies emerging each year, it seems New Plymouth Vet Group will continue to go from strength to strength. 235 DEVON ST EAST, NEW PLYMOUTH 06 758 4006 | WWW.NPVET.CO.NZ INFO NPVET.CO.NZ | STAY IN TOUCH
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