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World Veterinary Day 2004
World Veterinary Day
is being celebrated on 24th April 2004. This is
the fourth year that this day has been recognised,
as a way of promoting the role and activities of
veterinarians the world over.
100 years ago there were only about 15
veterinarians working in New Zealand. Now, there
are approximately 1950, working in all areas from
small animals to large, from pathology to pigs.
100 years ago, all 15 veterinarians would have
been men. Now 40% of registered veterinarians in
New Zealand are women, and 75% of the 2004
graduating year group from Massey University are
women. This trend is reflected worldwide.
Just under half of registered veterinarians in New
Zealand tend mainly to cats and dogs. Others work
in large animal practices or in mixed practices.
Large animal veterinarians are particularly
important in ensuring that the health of New
Zealand’s production animals is maintained at its
high standard. The recent expansion of the dairy
industry has resulted in a demand for more
veterinarians in rural areas such as Waikato and
Southland. A further 200 veterinarians are
employed by the government, these vets are
involved in bio-security, certification, auditing
and animal welfare.
Every veterinarian who works in New Zealand has to
be registered with the Veterinary Council of New
Zealand. This professional regulatory body is
responsible for protecting the public interest, by
promoting and encouraging high standards of
professional education and professional conduct
among veterinarians, for setting standards for
veterinary practice and for hearing and
determining complaints against veterinarians. The
Council comprises seven members, two of whom are
lay members.
Massey University is the only university in New
Zealand that offers the Bachelor of Veterinary
Science degree – its five year Bachelor of
Veterinary Science degree programme is respected
worldwide as being of a very high standard. Of
those Massey graduates who have registered in New
Zealand since the first graduating class of 1968,
75% are still working in New Zealand, and others
are working overseas. Yet the number of Massey
graduates was unable to fill the recent high
demand for veterinarians, and so many overseas
veterinarians have been attracted here for short
or long periods. Of the 187 veterinarians who
registered for the first time with the Veterinary
Council of New Zealand in 2003, 111 were trained
at universities overseas and 76 at Massey
University
For more information, contact:
Julie Haggie
Secretary
Veterinary Council of New Zealand
Ph: +64 4 473 9600
Veterinary Council of New Zealand
Source: Veterinary Council of New Zealand |
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