Voluntary Bonding Scheme for Veterinarians: Opotiki vet Kate Mackersey gets support for going rural

Opotiki veterinarian Kate Mackersey at work in the dairy shed.

Eastern Bay of Plenty livestock farmers say they are benefitting from a government scheme that supports graduate vets.

Opotiki veterinarian Kate Mackersey is one of 33 recipients of the government’s Voluntary Bonding Scheme for veterinarians.

Under the scheme, each recipient gets $55,000 of funding across five years, in return for working across rural New Zealand.

“There’s a shortage of vets in rural areas,” Mackersey said.

“The programme is designed to attract and support graduates going into rural practice by providing funding to people who take it up.”

For Mackersey, though, it wasn’t a tough decision.

“My family runs a sheep and beef station in the Bay of Plenty and I remember watching the vet when he was called to help at calving time, so I always knew I wanted to work in this area,” she said.

“The scheme helped to cement my decision.”

“Graduates go into the workforce with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt.

“We’ve studied at vet school for five years to qualify and that’s expensive.

"The worst case I’ve heard of is a graduate with a $50,000 student loan to pay back.”

The 28-year-old said the scheme effectively removed some of that stress so she could focus on her job.

Mackersey graduated in the class of 2023 and has been part of the Opotiki Veterinary Health Centre team for a year.

“It’s full on but I’m pretty lucky to go to some neat parts of Bay of Plenty,” she said.

“We cover right up the coast up to East Cape and inland through to Matawai.

“It’s beautiful scenery as we’re driving around.

“We work with a huge variety. I might be called out to see dairy cows in the morning and then back to the clinic to treat someone’s chook.

“You get the big and the small.”

Since its inception in 2009, the Voluntary Bonding Scheme has supported 449 graduate vets.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said the scheme was set up to help ease the shortage of veterinarians working with production animals and working dogs in the regions.

“Vets are a vital part of the community, and this scheme helps attract some of the brightest and best new graduates to our regions,” he said.

For Mackersey, the financial support along with her on-the-job training is proving an invaluable foundation for her career.

“I really do love working with farmers, in particular, because they’re passionate about their roles as guardians of animals and land,” she said.

“I have learnt so much from them.

“They are full of knowledge and experience and more than willing to share this with a young vet.

“Being a new graduate veterinarian is hard, so being part of small rural community has been great.

“You really get to know people and feel well supported.”

• This article was originally published in Coast & Country News