Next-Gen Vets

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University Tāwharau Ora School of Veterinary Science is New Zealand’s only veterinary school. It is consistently ranked the best in Australasia and among the top 20 globally. Over six decades, the school has continued to evolve and innovate, producing vets trained to provide essential support to our primary industries, animal welfare organisations, and rural communities. And it carries a unique responsibility: to train enough vets, and to train them for a rapidly changing world. 

In New Zealand, veterinary science underpins the primary industries. Farmers rely on vets to keep animals healthy and productive. And food exporters depend on them to verify products and maintain the high standards that keep international markets open. 

Biosecurity agencies count on their expertise to detect and prevent disease threats at the border and beyond. One of the largest employers of veterinarians is the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) where vets are central to delivering food safety, sampling, certification, and market access with trading partners. When a shipment of meat or dairy products leaves our shores, a veterinarian’s signature stands behind it. 

Professor Jenny Weston, Academic Lead of Veterinary Science at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has seen significant transformations of the sector over the course of her career. Farms are larger and farmed more intensively. Auditing and compliance requirements have multiplied and developing microbial resistance has tightened rules around antibiotic use.

Animal welfare expectations have also risen, shaped by science and by society. And the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a vulnerability - New Zealand’s reliance on overseas-trained vets left the veterinary profession stretched when our borders closed. 

Professor Weston says the expectations of animal owners in New Zealand and consumers overseas are changing and what is known about how people learn has also changed. Responding to that, Massey’s veterinary programme has undertaken a quantum leap in the past few years to ensure graduates are prepared for what the future holds.

Associate Dean, Professor Eloise Jillings, describes contemporary teaching practice at Tāwharau Ora as a “flipped classroom”. Students now engage with interactive, core material before class, while face to face sessions are used to apply that knowledge. Educational research shows that active learning deepens understanding, and here it mirrors the realities of practice. Veterinary medicine is not just about recalling facts; it is about making decisions under pressure, weighing risks, and communicating clearly. 

Clinical skills training begins early and is integrated throughout the entire degree. Students start farm and animal industry placements at the end of their first year and by the middle of their third year, they are spending time in veterinary clinics between the teaching semesters. This gradual immersion builds competence and confidence. It also builds excitement, the moment when theory meets real animals and practising vets, farmers and other primary industry players. 

Communication skills have become essential within the degree. Today’s vets operate within complex farm systems, working alongside a professional team of players that can include farm workers, consultants, bankers, and fertiliser representatives. Strong relationships allow vets to offer advice that is not only scientifically sound but also practically workable. For young graduates, these networks expand their grasp of how animal welfare, business, and land stewardship intersect and ensure that they can add value to their farming clients. 

Assessment has evolved, too. Traditional grades have given way to a pass/fail competency model, raising the bar on what it means to be “ready.” Instead of two to three high-stakes exams for each course, evaluation is integrated within the courses and across the programme. Students must consistently demonstrate applied knowledge as well as the skills and professional behaviours expected of a practising vet.  

The physical environment reinforces the school’s commitment to positive change and innovation. Laboratory, the veterinary teaching hospital (four components comprising farm animals, horses, companion animals and wildlife), and the Large Animal Teaching Unit provide a spectrum of real-world exposure. Advanced simulation models allow students to practise complex procedures safely before working with live animals. Mistakes become learning opportunities, not risks to welfare.  

In late 2025, the school officially opened Ngā Huia, a new $70 million veterinary facility. The facility includes state-of-the-art laboratories for specialised researchers in areas including Pathobiology and Infectious Diseases, and the Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre. The building includes academic and postgraduate student offices, as well as student collaboration and study spaces.

Together, the modern curriculum design, cutting-edge facilities, and a deep connection to industry, position Tāwharau Ora as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s rural sector. New Zealand’s veterinary school has been completely reimagined to ensure the needs of animal owners in New Zealand and our overseas consumers are met into the future.