92 | nzdairy Veterinary practice back in local ownership Veterinary Services in Wairarapa are back in local ownership and operation after seven years as a branch of Vet Services Hawke’s Bay. Masterton vet and practise manager, Nicola Haglund purchased the practise and officially reopened the doors in April with a new name and branding and the same great staff. Now called The Vet Clinic Wairarapa, the rural mixed practise is still located at 24 Lincoln Road in Masterton, and still delivering the same comprehensive small and large animal service, and veterinary retail. “It’s pretty exciting to have the clinic be back in local ownership and to be making our own decisions. Vet Services Hawke’s Bay has been really supportive of the sale and are helping us with the logistics. We have a really amicable relationship with them,” says Nicola. Having spent five years as practise manager for Vet Services Wairarapa, Nicola was keen to have greater input into the practise and be more involved in the decision making. “I was interested in becoming a partner prior to Vet Services Wairarapa purchasing the practise in 2016 as I wanted to have more of a say about how we ran the practise. “As you get older, you grow in self-confidence and maturity, and you can see where you can make a difference. I get a lot of support from my husband who is an accountant and provides plenty of financial advice,” laughs Nicola. “We are very entrenched in the Wairarapa community and wanted to make our mark on our local area.” Veterinary colleague Sarah Wolland has a 5 % share holding in the business and is part of the management team along with the clinic manager and senior veterinary team. The staff at Vet Services Wairarapa are all woman and Nicola recognises that women benefit from a different set of managerial skills. “We focus on being more empathetic managers and that works well. We are quite unique in that all eight vets and 20 plussupport staff are women. The veterinary industry is a female dominated profession now, yet I was the first woman practise manager that the Vet Services group had ever employed over its five clinics,” says Nicola. Nicola works four days a week as a small animal vet and one day as practise manager. While small animals are bread and butter for the practice, they also have a team of large animal vets with vast experience in treating Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD), a widespread viral disease that infects around 80% of New Zealand’s dairy and beef herds. The disease can cause reproductive losses, an increase in general disease, reduced growth rates, Ange Davidson Having spent five years as manager for Vet Services Wairarapa, Nicola was keen to have greater input into the practise. DAIRY SERVICES » Vet Services Wairarapa and lowered milk production. Testing animals, monitoring the BVD status of the herd, managing the health status of animals coming onto the farm, and vaccination will all help to control the virus and Nicola’s team can help farmers implement a management plan for the disease. Like many industries, employing vets and support staff during Covid was a challenge. The New Zealand veterinary industry has always relied on overseas recruitment for qualified vets to make up the shortfall in New Zealand. The closed borders exasperated the situation. Nicola now has a full team of vets, with one more joining the team in Spring, and is building the nursing team by supporting a group of young nurses through their training. “I was interested in becoming a partner prior to Vet Services Wairarapa purchasing the practise in 2016 as I wanted to have more of a say about how we ran the practise.”
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