The hub is a repository for all of our standards and guidance for veterinarians. You can use the navigation and search box on the left of this page to find a particular document or topic.

There are PDF versions of most documents available for download and printing. We recommend you use the online version where possible to ensure you get the most up to date information.

Our standards set out what is expected of veterinarians. All veterinarians in New Zealand must meet these standards.

The high-level standards we have set are the:

Code of Professional Conduct

Competency Standards and Performance Indicators for Veterinarians

Statements are part of our standards and provide more detailed requirements for veterinarians on specific issues. Veterinarians must comply with them.

Guidance is prepared to help veterinarians deal with specific issues in practice. It presents a good way of applying professional standards but this may not be the only way. Veterinarians can safely rely on our guidance but they do not have to follow it if they believe another approach is better, provided it complies with our standards and statements and they apply good professional judgment. Because our guidance is specific, it won’t apply in every situation.

Technical advice is our interpretation of how professional standards apply in a particular situation. It is designed to help veterinarians deal with common issues in practice, using their professional judgement to apply the advice to their own situation.

Practice guidance is our interpretation of how legal and professional requirements apply in a particular situation. It is designed to help practices deal with common issues, using judgement to apply the advice to their own situation.