Meet Our Dairy Vets

Becks joined the Central Vets team in late 2009 as a new graduate veterinarian.  Having spent her childhood in the North Island, Papua New Guinea and Dunedin she is quick to embrace new communities.  This has definitely been the case in Ranfurly where she has taken all opportunities to partake in rural life.  In her spare time Becks enjoys a wide range of sporting activities (especially skiing), socializing with friends, Young Farmers Club and training any working pups that come her way!!  Becks lives with her partner Jason and has Colin the cat and Mint the Dog keeping her busy when not at work or sporting.

What’s the best part about your job? I love that I can do my job anywhere and adapt it to the resources I have at hand. Of course I also love getting to meet and help so many amazing creatures.

How did you get involved with the industry? I think I first wanted to be a vet from about 5 years of age. I grew up with pets of my own and helping on uncles farms then started volunteering at my local veterinary clinic when I was 13.

What’s your area of expertise? My current passions are veterinary dentistry and management of skin cases. I have also recently completed the Massey MVM Companion animal endocrinology paper and am currently studying small animal soft tissue surgery.

What are you most proud of? I know it’s cliché but I’m super proud of my kids aged 11 and 13, I love their creativity and enthusiasm for life.

Who inspires you? I’m most inspired by working with a dedicated, caring colleagues and love always learning new ways of doing things.

Where is your favourite place in the world? In the bush anywhere in New Zealand.

If you could be any animal, which would you be? Perhaps a monkey, they’re kind of cheeky and it must be fun climbing around in the trees all day.

What are you passionate about? Sharing knowledge with others

What are you currently watching on Netflix? Our Netflix subscripton has lapsed at the moment so my library membership is getting a good workout.

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? Enjoying adventures in Aotearoa, after being away for 8-9 years it’s great to be home.

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? Being really awesome at squeezing way more stuff into the boot of a car than you would think is possible.

Dave is our senior vet and apart from an initial 18 months in Hokitika has spent all his working life in Ranfurly. Dave lives with Kate on a 150 acre lifestyle block that occupies his time.  Being the sole vet for most for most of this time, spare time has been precious, but he is obsessive about quail hunting with his G.W.P’s.  When quail are not allowed, ducks, geese and trout are the targets.

What’s the best part about your job? The People and animals I work with.

How did you get involved with the industry? When I was dairy farming I met a vet from VetEnt who I got on well with so when I left dairy farming because I wanted a break from that but still wanted to work with animals, I dropped in an application to do work with his clinic.

What’s your area of expertise? TB testing and large animal Vet Technician.

What are you most proud of? How much I’ve managed to do in the last 5 years.

Who inspires you? My sister in law and all the hardworking farmers.

Where is your favourite place in the world? Switzerland and Whangarei.

If you could be any animal, which would you be? A Cat. I mean who doesn’t want to nap all day right?!

What are you passionate about? The agricultural industry. Everything in it.

What are you currently watching on Netflix? Downton Abbey.

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? Myself

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? Im really musical, like really. And I can touch my nose with my tongue..not a secret anymore is it!

Emma is a large animal vet who started at VetEnt at the end of 2007. Having completed a Masters of Veterinary Studies in epidemiology focussing on facial eczema management she now runs the research division of VetEnt – VetEnt Research. She is currently completing her phD in Failure of passive transfer in dairy calves through Massey Univeristy, funded by DairyNZ and Sustainable Farming Fund.

Jane is a 2003 Massey Graduate, she started her career in mixed practice in Northland and after 3 years in the sunny north she left along with all the other kiwis on her OE. She spent 2 years locuming mainly in small animal practices in the UK and travelling anywhere and everywhere every spare moment. On her way home she took a small side trip to South America where amongst all the travel and sightseeing  she worked with Iguanas on an island off Honduras, walked Jaguars and Pumas in the amazon and worked with other Amazonian animals including various Monkeys, Toucans  and a Tapir named Herbie. On arriving back to New Zealand in 2010, She was keen to get back into Dairy Cattle medicine and production and has been working with VETENT since then.  During 2011 Jane spent 6 months working in Vietnam on a large intensive Dairy project. Jane is particularly interested in the calf rearing and young stock side of Dairy cattle medicine and in training and education of Farm Staff. Outside of work Jane enjoys Ceroc and West Coast Swing dancing, hiking, tennis and still loves travelling to see new and exciting places, though from now on sadly, only short trips are possible.

Kate has been involved with VetEnt Ashburton since graduating in 2009.  Her main interests include Farm Productivity, Reproduction and Calf & Young stock. During the hours away from the office Kate loves to be out water skiing or on the netball court and is sharemilking 900 cows with her partner Mike.

Kate graduated from Massey University in 2007 and is a large animal veterinarian based in Otorohanga.  Kate grew up on a dairy farm near Matamata, and from there her interest in the dairy industry stemmed.  Kate is passionate about dairy medicine, in particular reproduction, and enjoys interacting with farmers and using Infovet in identifying problems and areas where she can add value. Kate places great emphasis on client service and on tailoring plans and programmes to every farm, and gets great satisfaction in being involved with increased farm productivity and profitability. Kate is currently a member of the Dairy Cattle Veterinarians Committee.