There’s a reason our House, Contents and Car insurance policies have been voted Consumer People’s Choice for seven years running. Find out why at mas.co.nz Our insurance is choice. 7 Supporting veterinarians’ wellbeing is at the heart of MAS and New Zealand Veterinary Association’s partnership. MAS’s purpose of inspiring a healthier Aotearoa is at the core of its partnership with the NZVA, with the two organisations focusing on mental health and wellbeing. MAS Head of Brand and Partnerships Nicola Airey says the insurance and inancial services company has a long history of supporting veterinarians, including a 15-year partnership. MAS was formed as an insurance cooperative by a group of doctors in 1921, and in 1968, veterinary surgeons were invited to join the growing mutual – G K and K C Bell were the irst two admitted. Today MAS is one of only two remaining New Zealand owned mutual insurance companies “We’ve had a long partnership with the NZVA, and over the past few years, we’ve been focusing on howwe can do more to support the wellbeing of vets. That has meant partnering on a number of di erent initiatives aimed at providing resources and tools to vets to help them with their mental and physical wellbeing,” Nicola says. New Zealand Veterinary Association CEO Kevin Bryant says wellbeing has been a strong focus for both organisations, and the partnership has bene itted from working closely on issues of mutual importance. “It’s a big challenge for us to be okay with talking about mental health and we’re appreciative of the strong MAS supporting vets’ wellbeing partnership we have with MAS on this issue,” he says. That collaboration started by helping the NZVA provide a wellbeing hub on its website in 2020 just as the pandemic began. Kevin says the mental wellbeing resources provided by MAS had a huge impact on the profession at a time when many vets were struggling. “That area of our website remains the most frequently accessed over the past three years,” he says. MAS also partnered with the NZVA on the inaugural wellbeing summit for vets last year. The event, which ran over two days in Christchurch, was full to capacity. The event was so successful, it’s set to run every two years, bringing New Zealand and international experts together to share knowledge and tools. And after the loods and cyclone that hit the North Island in January and February this year, Nicola says they were quick to call the NZVA and ask how they could help. That led to o ering all veterinarians access to MAS’s health and wellbeing portal, Āki, for free, irrespective of whether they're a MAS Member. Nicola says MAS’s role is to facilitate ways for vets to help other vets. “We’re working with vets around the country, connecting them up and sharing the work they’re doing to help. And we’re always looking for other ways to do more in the wellbeing space,” she says. One such initiative was supporting the Vet Thrive Collective Podcast, launched by Auckland veterinarian Megan Alderson late last year. Megan has faced mental health challenges throughout her 30-year career and wanted to do something to help her colleagues across the country. “The veterinary industry has been, for a long time, facing mental health challenges. We're at a crisis point. We have high pressure jobs every day. So you come into the vet, and it's not just puppies and kittens, it's sick animals, it's desperate owners, there's only so many of us to actually look after those animals,” Megan says. The podcast provides a series of conversations with people who have insight into di erent aspects of mental wellbeing. Episodes include conversations about creating a sustainable workforce building a healthy vet practice. Nicola says MAS supported the irst season of the podcast, and have just committed to an additional six episodes. Megan says the podcast provides useful advice and tools for everyone working in the caring professions; along with veterinary professionals, it can be useful for dentists, doctors and students. “We all have very similar backgrounds, and we have similar challenges within our professions. MAS coming on to sponsor the podcast has been a godsend, because it is time for everyone to hear this.” Megan Alderson, host of the MAS-sponsored Vet Thrive Collective Podcast.
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