Interviews Episodes

Front Desk, Full Team: Stacey Deacon on How Energy Vets Works Day to Day Stacey Deacon didn’t train as a veterinary nurse. She’s a dedicated receptionist — and part of a reception team that sits at the centre of how Energy Vets runs day to day. In this final episode of the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series, Stacey shares what working on the front desk actually looks like inside a busy mixed practice in Taranaki. The reception team works across both the Inglewood and Waitara clinics, coordinating ...

Leadership, Succession, and Coming Home: Kylie Lindsay on Growing People at Energy Vets Kylie Lindsay began her journey with Energy Vets answering after-hours phones. More than twenty years later, she’s Clinic Services Manager, shareholder, and now a director of the Taranaki practice. In this second half of Julie South’s conversation with Kylie, the focus shifts to leadership and the kind of veterinarian Energy Vets is looking for as the clinic grows its companion animal team. Kylie describes...

From Client to Clinic Leader: Kylie Lindsay on Energy Vets’ Growth and Team Culture Kylie Lindsay didn’t originally join Energy Vets as a staff member — she joined as a client. Growing up in rural Inglewood with horses and other animals, the clinic (then Inglewood Veterinary Services) cared for the animals on her family’s lifestyle block. One day, while a vet was visiting one of her horses, Kylie asked whether there might be any work available at the clinic. Her timing was good. A role had ju...

Head Vet Nurse Nicky Smith on Team Support, Community, and Life in Taranaki In this REAL+STORY episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South speaks with Nicky Smith, Head Vet Nurse at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Nicky has worked in veterinary clinics in New Zealand and overseas, including time living in Auckland and abroad. But when the time came to settle and raise her family, she made the deliberate decision to return to Taranaki — the place she calls home. In this chat, Nicky shares with Julie wh...

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Starting Out as a New Grad In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sieara Claytor, a 2025 graduate working in her very first full-time veterinary role at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Sieara moved from the United States to study in Australia and has now started her career in rural New Zealand. Six months in, she’s already managing emergencies, assisting in surgeries beyond routine desexings, handling after-hours responsibilities, and working across two clini...

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Why Alana Came Back In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia. Alana talks about what made coming back feel like the right decision — not just professionally, but personally. She compares different clinic environments and explains what stands out at Energy Vets: how nurses are trusted to use their skil...

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Growing a Career That Grows With You
In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Michelle Gosling about what it looks like to build a long-term veterinary career in one place — and why she never felt the need to leave Energy Vets after joining as a new graduate in 2013.

Michelle reflects on her journey from new grad to senior large animal vet, working parent, farm services manager and, most recently, shareholder in the business. Rather than focusing on titles,...

Energy Vets | What Makes the Job Work Long-Term (Part 2) Settling into a role is one thing. Staying in it — sustainably — is another. In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Dr Sam Armstrong, a mixed animal vet at Energy Vets in Taranaki, looking at what work feels like once the initial settling-in period has passed. Sam talks candidly about after-hours, workload, seasonal pressure points, and how the structure around him makes the job feel manageable over time. He also r...

Energy Vets | Finding Your Feet as a New Grad (Part 1) Starting your veterinary career isn’t just about clinical skills. It’s about how support shows up when you’re new, how questions are handled, and how safe it feels to keep learning — especially when you’re doing it in a new country. In this episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sam Armstrong, a mixed animal vet at Energy Vets in Taranaki, about arriving in New Zealand straight out of university and starting his first job without knowing any...

Energy Vets - Taranaki - New Zealand | REAL+STORY
A recent graduate’s view of support, mentoring, and staying in the profession
When new graduates talk about support, they’re not talking about slogans. They’re talking about what happens in the moments that matter.

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series with Jade, a recent graduate mixed animal veterinarian who has been working at Energy Vets in Taranaki for just over two years.

Jade shares...

Energy Vets | Culture Stories in Action (Part 2) Staying in a clinic long-term isn’t just about the work you do. It’s about how you’re supported, how leadership shows up, and what happens when things don’t go to plan. In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Greg Hall, Managing Director at Energy Vets in Taranaki, shifting the focus from day-to-day life to what it takes to build a team that lasts. They talk openly about leadership, succession planning, ageing vet teams, an...

Energy Vets Taranaki NZ | Culture Stories in Action (Part 1) Most vets and nurses know within a few minutes whether a clinic feels like their kind of place — long before they ever see a job ad. In this episode, Julie South is joined by Dr Greg Hall, Managing Director at Energy Vets in Taranaki, for a grounded conversation about what day-to-day veterinary life there actually looks like. They talk about the work, the people, the pace, and the place — from small animal caseloads across two clini...

CareVets Gisborne | REAL+STORY When vets and nurses think about changing clinics, they’re not just choosing a role. They’re choosing the people they’ll work with — and the support around them when things get busy or unpredictable. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the CareVets Gisborne REAL+STORY series with a different perspective — stepping back from day-to-day clinical roles to hear from the Regional Manager who supports the clinic. Julie is joined by Alice Dawso...

CareVets Gisborne's Clinic Coordinator Rhonda moved from London to Gisborne five years ago. In London, her commute was 90 minutes. In Auckland, she never got out of second gear in traffic. In Gisborne? Five minutes. Through "5 o'clock traffic" means waiting for half a dozen cars at a roundabout instead of going straight through. "I go home for lunch," she says. Like it's nothing. But here's what made me want to record this conversation: Rhonda isn't a vet or a nurse. She came from corporate b...

What does a locum vet who's worked at five different clinics across New Zealand think when she walks into CareVets Gisborne? "I've actually loved it." Dr Camille Bonini is an English vet on a working holiday visa with absolutely no reason to sugarcoat anything. She's seen what good looks like and what doesn't. So when she talks about a nursing team that's always two steps ahead, surgical schedules that actually finish on time, and a head nurse who stays calm when things get chaotic, you know ...

Dr Ross Milner has worked everywhere from Antarctica to Fiji — but chose Gisborne as the best place in New Zealand for a vet to settle.
In this episode, he explains why, and what day-to-day life as a vet there actually looks like.
Dr Ross talks about:
what surprised him most about living on the East Coast

the kind of caseload you can expect in a regional clinic

how the nursing team works (and why he’d trust them with his own dog)

what the after-hours roster really feels like

the community mo...

Dr Loren Cribb has been calling Gisborne home since 2014. She started as a nervous new grad from the South Island and stayed for the trauma cases, the hunting dogs, and a nursing team that's always "one step ahead."
This is what it's actually like to work at CareVets Gisborne.

The variety: "If you're only wanting to do vaccinations and dentals, it's not the clinic for you. If you like a little bit of a challenge and excitement, then you can definitely get it."
The team: "You go to ask for somet...

Three-minute commute. One traffic light. Equipment that surprises people. And a team so competent that Emma doesn't get called when her team is on call at the weekends.
Emma moved from Auckland four years ago and describes what it's like working somewhere that invests in building capability in-house - whether that's funding her Bachelor's degree or equipping the clinic to handle cases that would otherwise mean a four-hour drive for clients.

If you're a small animal veterinarian looking to make ...

Sarah left CareVets Gisborne. Then she came back. In this episode, you'll hear why the team she left was the team she missed most, what it's really like becoming part of a community where you chat about patients while doing your grocery shopping, and the clinical variety that comes with being the main option when referral hospitals are too far away. If you're a small animal veterinarian looking to make your next career move you owe it to yourself to check out the opportunity at CareVets Gisbo...

Dr Anna knew nothing about New Zealand before leaving Dublin, Ireland. Just that the weather would be terrible - like at home.
A year later, she's thinking about residency.

This is the final episode in the VetsOne Employer of Choice series. You'll hear what the first year as a new graduate actually looks like—from someone who arrived knowing nobody and nothing about where she'd be living.

What you'll hear:
Seven weeks of structured induction as a brand new grad.

Why extended euthanasia appoin...

What Support Actually Looks Like: Two Vet Nurses on Corporate vs Private Practice
Brooke and Abi are both veterinary nurses at VetsOne. One's been there two years, the other nearly two. Both came from clinics where they felt unsupported. Both found something different.

In this episode:
What "support" actually looks like when teammates pick up the slack on rough days

How Brooke discovered a passion for palliative care she didn't know she had

Why Abi's weight management clinic idea sat in her h...

Dana relocated 1300 kilometres from Central Otago to Hawke's Bay specifically for this veterinary nursing position at VetsOne. In this episode: Why she moved 800+ miles for a nursing role—and what it took to build a new life knowing only 3-4 peopleCorporate vs. privately owned clinics: "You feel more like a family member rather than just a number"Weekly role rotations that pair nurses with different vets daily—creating variety for everyoneThe Lincoln programme: Learning to navigate diff...

In Part 1 (ep 1009), you heard Dr Mia's journey as a mature student to veterinary medicine, her transition from mixed to small animal practice, and how VetsOne supported her herbal medicine side hustle. You also heard why she left—and what drew her back 18 months later. In Part 2, Dr Mia walks through the practical day-to-day realities of working at VetsOne. In this episode, you'll hear about: After-hours arrangements: How joining the Hawke's Bay after-hours clinic changed everything (latest ...

Dr Mia describes VetsOne as her "forever home" - and after hearing her story, you'll understand why. In this first part of our conversation with Dr Mia, you'll discover how a new graduate found a clinic that not only supported her transition from mixed to small animal practice, but actively championed her interest in herbal medicine when she could have been dismissed as "witchy" or "alternative." What you'll hear: How Dr Mia came to veterinary medicine as a mature student after trying (unsucc...