{"id":52852,"date":"2022-11-16T16:23:23","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T03:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=52852"},"modified":"2022-11-16T16:23:25","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T03:23:25","slug":"new-vet-grads-barely-dent-shortfall-of-120","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/new-vet-grads-barely-dent-shortfall-of-120\/","title":{"rendered":"New vet grads barely dent shortfall of 120"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

With 32 graduate vets set to begin their careers in rural New Zealand, the profession continues to experience a dire shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the government\u2019s Voluntary Bonding Scheme (VBS) for veterinarians, the graduate vets each receive funding of $55,000 over five years to kick-start their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scheme is aimed at helping to ease the shortage of veterinarians working with production animals in the more remote regions of NZ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NZ Veterinary Association (NZVA) chief executive Kevin Bryant said the scheme, while helpful, is not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now we have 50 large animal vet vacancies and a further 70 companion vet vacancies on our website and that\u2019s right across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSchemes like this are really valuable and we are a great supporter of the scheme that opens opportunities for people to bed themselves into supporting our primary industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut with a shortage of vets, vet nurses and vet techs, we need a multitude of these type of initiatives to fill the gap,\u201d Bryant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New immigration rules introduced in April this year have vets on the green list of essential jobs which has opened access to vets from overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must be coming in under the umbrella of an accredited employer, which [speeds up] the process and we are hearing from employers on the green list that this is working well so long as you follow instructions and fill out the forms correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NZVA is running advertising campaigns through its social media platforms to encourage vets from overseas to come to NZ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this is not just a NZ problem, the vet shortage is a global issue, every country is navigating the same challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no silver bullet and that\u2019s why we need a series of multiple small initiatives to contribute to the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massey University secured increased funding and took an additional 30 students in this year\u2019s intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses are shuffling staff to streamline the nature of work they need to cover. There are opportunities for technology to make things easier and a drive to attract people who have been vets to come back to the profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to look at all these things as an industry because the brutal reality is doing what we have done for the past 50 years is not going to get us there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like we are bereft of ideas, it\u2019s challenging and it will be for some time. We have to collaborate as a profession and problem solve together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryant said vets \u201care coming in, just not fast enough\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will be advocating to the Ministry for Primary Industries [MPI] to take greater numbers into these schemes,\u201d Bryant said.        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting Agriculture and Rural Communities Minister Meka Whaitiri said the bonding scheme incentivises vets to take up positions in more remote regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need these vets to provide the best care for production animals, such as cows, sheep and pigs and working dogs that are so essential in our food and fibre sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince its inception in 2009, the VBS has supported 416 graduate vets from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South, providing certainty for students and vital skills for our rural communities,\u201d Whaitiri said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme is delivered by MPI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight of this year\u2019s recipients will be placed in Waikato, while Canterbury and Manawat\u016b-Whanganui will each get five; Southland and Taranaki, four; Otago, 3; and Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Hawke\u2019s Bay one each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVets are vital members of our rural communities, and many graduates who have taken up the scheme enjoy the lifestyle these locations offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom Waimauku north of Auckland to Winton in the deep south, this year\u2019s graduates will play a crucial role in helping our farmers with production and animal welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe VBS is just one of the programmes the government is investing in to ensure our farmers have access to high quality, professional veterinary services and help rural communities to continue to thrive,\u201d Whaitiri said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Multi-pronged approach needed to address shortage, says sector.\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":52858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[119,99],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t