Location: Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand
Role: Large Animal Veterinarian – Deer & Production Animal
Position Type: Permanent, Full-time

A well-established rural veterinary practice in Ashburton is seeking a Large Animal Veterinarian with an interest in deer and production animal medicine to join their team.

This role offers a varied caseload across sheep, beef and deer, with a strong focus on deer health and performance. You'll have the opportunity to work alongside experienced senior veterinarians, gaining valuable mentorship and exposure to a broad range of interesting and challenging cases.

The practice also has a strong dairy client base, providing the opportunity to support farmers with proactive herd health and production programmes.

What's on offer:

• Permanent, full-time opportunity
• Diverse large animal caseload across sheep, beef and deer
• Strong focus on deer medicine and production
• Opportunity to develop specialist knowledge in deer health and performance
• Mentorship from experienced senior veterinarians
• Exposure to dairy herd health and preventative medicine
• Supportive rural practice environment
• Strong focus on professional development and CPD
• Competitive remuneration and KiwiSaver
• Opportunity to maintain an interest in small animal or mixed practice if desired

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide veterinary care across sheep, beef and deer operations
• Develop and implement herd health and preventative health programmes
• Manage fertility, reproduction and production outcomes
• Perform scanning of beef and deer herds
• Support farmers with on-farm decision-making and animal health planning
• Perform surgical and clinical procedures in field and clinic settings
• Contribute to disease investigation and diagnostics
• Build strong, trusted relationships with farming clients
• Participate in an after-hours roster for urgent cases

Requirements:

• BVSc or equivalent, with registration (or eligibility) to work in New Zealand
• Minimum 2 years' experience in large animal practice, or a strong rural mixed practice background
• Experience with beef and deer scanning
• Deer handling experience preferred but not essential
• Genuine interest in deer medicine and production animal practice
• Confident with herd health, reproductive work, diagnostics and field surgery
• Strong communication and client relationship skills
• Team-focused and willing to learn and share knowledge
• Full, clean Class 1 driver's licence