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.

Hannah is a mixed animal veterinarian who works across small and large animal medicine with a focus on production animal work. She is currently working on her masters in veterinary medicine completing a study on Mastitis. One of Hannah’s favourite parts about about her role with VetEnt is the variety of being able to be out on farm helping farmers, and then seeing clients in clinic with their pets. Outside of work, Hannah enjoys spending time with her retired working dog Mia and is a keen scuba diver, spear fisher and is now also learning how to surf!

Born and breed on a sheep and beef property in North Canterbury, then finishing school on a sheep property in Mid Canterbury. I was always destined for work in the agricultural sector, after school I went down south with a team of dogs, mustering for two years before flying to Western Australia and working on a cattle station, then into a gold mine as a geology technician. Bringing home my husband Rob, we had Brady now 18 and Bonnie, 16. Furthering my education, I completed my national certificates in Agri Business Management while working on a sheep and beef property just out of Methven. I secured casual work with VetEnt Riverside (Ashburton) in 2012 and 2013, helping on an animal trial, debudding calves and TB testing. I followed this with permanent work on a dairy farm to broaden my knowledge, learning about treating lane cows, reproduction in diary, rearing calves to heifers and also being involved with flushing cows and embryo implants. The last two winters I have worked causally teat sealing heifers, I am looking forward to this new step in my career working permanently for VetEnt.

Justine is the lead Veterinary Technician for the Waipa area. She has been with the company for 13 years and has a certificate in Rural Animal Technology graduating from Otago Polytech in 2008. Justine’s specific areas of interest are in the development of the Large Animal Veterinary Technician (LAVT) role in the veterinary industry and she particularly enjoys hfr teatsealing and ultrasound scanning. Outside of work, Justine enjoys keeping fit and supporting her daughter in her competitive swimming.