Animals – New vet in town

As a new member of the Wellsford Vet Clinic team, I’m delighted to be here and am looking forward to meeting more of the farmers, pet owners and animal lovers of the Rodney region.

Like Neil Warnock, I graduated from the University of Edinburgh – as all the best vets do – before setting out on a predominantly cattle-focused career. After initially working on farms, owing to a slight reluctance to begin life as an actual vet, I moved to New Zealand and have now been practising here for nine years. I’ve been fortunate enough to call Northland home for the past seven.

I live with my fiancée Mel, our two frustratingly energetic fox terriers, Alfie and Scrappy, and a beautiful, but slightly overweight, horse called Vicky.

Outside work, I’m a keen sportsman and will play for almost any team willing to accept my modest abilities. Over the past year I’ve hunted for more hours than I care to admit, played rugby and football, run a half-marathon and recently returned to Gaelic football in Auckland. I also enjoy writing and released my first book, Adventures of a Country Vet, in 2024. Whenever I catch my breath, I study languages and read.

I’m also a volunteer community ambassador for the Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust, helping to raise awareness of its inspiring work supporting people in rural communities.

Having practised in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand, I bring broad clinical experience and a strong commitment to continuing professional development. I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural Science at Lincoln University in 2022 and, in 2024, was admitted as a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in cattle medicine.

Alongside clinical practice, I contribute to several national veterinary committees covering dairy cattle, the wider veterinary industry and antimicrobial resistance. This work helps me remain closely connected with developments affecting animal health, veterinary medicine and New Zealand agriculture.

Most importantly, I still enjoy the practical variety of being a community vet – whether I’m stitching up a pig dog, attending to a horse or pregnancy-testing cattle.

We live in a beautiful part of the world, and I’m thoroughly enjoying meeting more of the people who make our rural communities what they are. Hopefully, I’ll catch you out there soon.