Under the care of a veterinarian

The Veterinary Council of New Zealand is seeking feedback on an initiative called Under the care of a veterinarian.

This initiative will make changes to the Code of Professional Conduct to clarify the definition of a client and vet relationship, outline a veterinarian’s responsibilities, and  address any confusion, particularly around emergency care, after hours.

About the proposal

We are proposing to change three key sections in the code to make them clearer for veterinarians and veterinary practices.

Definition of the term ‘Under the care of a veterinarian’
We propose adding a definition of ‘under the care of a veterinarian’ to the Code and amending other parts that relate to it to ensure consistency of care and clarify the current rules. As part of this, we propose adding a new definition of ‘sufficient information’ and modifying the definition of ‘veterinary consultation’.

We are also considering several changes to the veterinary medicines section of the Code, including greater clarity around authorisations  of RVMs for future use, a key part of production animal medicine. Read more

Herd health management and disease control programmes
We propose making minor changes to the explanatory notes in the Veterinary Services and Client Relationships parts of the Code to reference new guidance on herd health management and disease control programmes.

These changes outline what the Vet Council expects of veterinarians when issuing a veterinary authorisation to purchase and hold RVMs in anticipation of use for seven key conditions. Read more

Definition of specific and limited range of veterinary services
We propose redefining what a specific and limited range of veterinary services means in the Code to clarify who is responsible for providing emergency care, after hours, and address any confusion about service provision.

This change includes adding a new definition of when veterinarian services can be restricted in scope to the glossary of the Code and adding new sections to the professional relationships section. Read more

Under each of the topics is a link to read its related proposal. We encourage you to read each of these documents to understand what we are proposing to change, and why, and how it might affect your practise.

Have your say

Now that the proposals have been developed, the Vet Council wants to know what you think. Do you agree with the proposed changes to the Code? Is there more we could do?

Complete the short survey here before 9 June 2025. All feedback is anonymous and will be used to help inform the final changes to the Code.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]