Public trust and confidence in the veterinary profession are vital pre-requisites if veterinarians are to carry out their expected roles and functions in society. Public perceptions about veterinarians are influenced by the actions of veterinarians as well as the standards of integrity and competence that veterinarians are held accountable to.



Registration as a veterinarian conveys certain rights and responsibilities but these will only last as long as the exercise of professional duties is carried out with appropriate diligence. Any loss of public confidence could result in removal of the profession's rights and a diminution of responsibilities.

Integrity means adherence to professional and ethical standards. It is a personal quality that is characterised by consistency of conduct, honesty and incorruptibility. As such, integrity is an essential and defining element of professionalism.



Accountability is the professional obligation on veterinarians to be able to justify and be held responsible for their actions.

Integrity of certification is central to the national interest, continuity of trading access, and public confidence in the profession. Any action by a veterinarian which contributes to bringing the integrity of veterinary certification into disrepute is considered very seriously by VCNZ. While this section of the Code refers mainly to written signed certificates, the principles apply equally to systems using electronic means of certification.

Subject to the variations described below, the following basic principles apply to all forms of certification by veterinarians.

Refer to the Explanatory Notes for section 3 of this part of the Code for further guidance on what to do in these situations.

The animal(s) or products being certified must be clearly identifiable from the details on the certificate.

The veterinarian must not sign and issue a blank or incompletely filled certificate form to be completed later by another party.

The veterinarian must complete the certificate with care and accuracy and in a manner and using a means which does not lend itself to alteration, or additions, by a second party after the certificate has been issued ie all required information must be entered before the certificate is signed.

The certificate must bear not only the veterinarian's signature but also clearly identify their name, qualifications and address or organisation and (where appropriate) bear official or practice stamps. Veterinarians might also give consideration to using their unique VCNZ registration number on the certificate. This provides an easy means of identifying the certifying veterinarian and their contact details should this be required (via checking with VCNZ office staff – contact us).

The certificate must bear the date on which the certificate was signed and issued (pre-dating and post-dating is not permissible) and (where appropriate) the time for which the certificate remains valid. The certificate should not attest to future events beyond the control of the veterinarian.

Only one original certificate must be issued. Where a copy or replacement is provided or retained it must be clearly marked COPY or DUPLICATE or REPLACEMENT as the case may be. Where practicable the veterinarian should ensure that the certificate being replaced is surrendered or withdrawn and either destroyed or clearly identified as to its revised status.

Where, after issuing a certificate, veterinarians become aware that the certificate should not have been issued or is no longer true, they must withdraw or cancel the certificate, identify the copies accordingly, and inform the affected parties of their action forthwith.



Where veterinarians compile and complete their own form of certificate (or one compiled on their behalf) they must ensure that:

Veterinarians completing and signing a standardised form other than an official certificate:

Veterinarians issuing official assurances must first familiarise themselves with all regulatory requirements, instructions and guidelines pertaining to the particular category of official assurance being dealt with and:

It is important that veterinarians distinguish between official assurances explicitly requiring veterinary involvement, and official assurances not requiring veterinary involvement. As a result of international demand the scope of official assurances is now broad, covering: agriculture, horticulture, food, wine, and in recent years 'commercial' claims such as organics and halal. As such, veterinarians are involved in regulatory systems for products with no essential veterinary connection. Under these circumstances veterinarians should exercise their professional judgement soundly and apply the standards and principles of this Code as guidelines when operating in a non-veterinary official assurance environment.

Personal responsibility for one's signature as described above does not preclude the use of electronic signatures. The conditions for use of electronic signatures (including the digitised image of one's actual signature) must include:

Veterinarians are expected to make conscientious and judicious use of current best evidence and integrate this with their own clinical expertise and experience when making decisions about the treatment of animals. Veterinarians must also be satisfied that the choice of veterinary medicine used to treat an animal(s) is justified, and that use is appropriate to achieve the intended effect. Veterinarians in a practice are expected to be satisfied that their staff follow the same standards when making sales recommendations.

The perception that a veterinarian or a practice staff personnel member is making treatment decisions or recommendations on the basis of commercial influence will undermine the public's trust in the profession.

The potential for commercial influence is relevant for decisions involving the authorisation and/or sale of both restricted and unrestricted veterinary medicines.



Veterinarians should use their judgement when offered inducements. Those which are low in monetary value, provide negligible personal benefit, or which are directly relevant to veterinary practice (eg text books, veterinary equipment etc) are likely to be acceptable. Ultimately the test the veterinarian should apply is whether they believe the gift has the potential to influence their professional judgement. Even though the potential for influence may seem low in a given situation it is likely to be more obvious to members of the public than to the veterinarians. Questions worth considering when faced with the offer of an inducement include:

Standard commercial arrangements between suppliers and veterinary practices around the purchase of products such as rebate structures, volume discounts, loyalty programmes and marketing/promotion agreements are acceptable, provided:

The veterinary supply industry often contributes to the financing of veterinary continuing professional development activities through sponsorship. This valuable contribution promotes advances in the clinical and professional standards of individual veterinarians and staff as well as of veterinary practices. Such individual and group sponsorship should be publicly disclosed in order to minimise perceptions of a conflict of interest, and to encourage the conscious avoidance of improper influence.

In the event of an exotic pest or disease incursion or notifiable disease outbreak most animal owners can be expected to seek veterinary advice. In both situations early disease recognition and containment offer the best opportunity for effective pest or disease control and eradication.

Veterinarians are expected to be able to distinguish 'normal' endemic pests and diseases from the abnormal notifiable or exotic. When they suspect a notifiable or exotic disease they must remain on the property and immediately phone the suspected exotic disease hotline 0800 809966 to notify. The Investigation and Diagnostic Centre (IDC) veterinarian on call is required to respond within 15 minutes and determine the next steps of the investigation. The onsite veterinarian should request that all movements on and off the property cease until the IDC veterinarian responds.

The veterinarian must follow the instructions given by the IDC veterinarian.



Veterinarians may on occasions be asked to prepare or present evidence for a court or tribunal. This could be either as a witness as to the facts of a case or as an expert witness. All witnesses must give their evidence accurately and honestly. Expert witnesses have extra responsibilities conferred on them by rules of evidence and codes of conduct required by the courts.

Where a veterinarian is called as a witness as to the facts the purpose of their evidence is to set out the factual circumstances. It is not the role of a veterinarian to give an opinion but rather to report the facts accurately in their evidence.

An expert witness may be called either by a party or by the court or tribunal. When a veterinarian is called as an expert witness to give expert evidence in a court or tribunal they must give their evidence impartially and within their area of expertise. The veterinarian may be asked to give an opinion and in doing so they have an over-riding duty to assist the court or tribunal. They are not an advocate for the party that engages them, whether that person is a client or not.

When a veterinarian gives their expert evidence in the courts they are required to comply with the code of conduct for expert witnesses under the High Court Rules. The Rules require that the expert witness has read the code of conduct and agrees to comply with it.

Veterinarians acting as expert witnesses must state:

When giving an expert opinion to the court veterinarians acting as expert witnesses must state the facts, the assumptions on which the opinion is based, and the reasons for the opinion. They must also identify any literature, examinations, tests or other investigations, or any other material used or relied on in support of the expert opinion. Where third party information is relied upon the veterinarian must give details of the qualifications of that person.



Where the court directs the veterinarian to confer with another expert witness to try to reach agreement as to the expert opinions, the veterinarian must comply with the direction of the court. In doing so, the veterinarian must exercise independent and professional judgement and must not act on the instructions and direction of any person to withhold or avoid disagreement.

Whether veterinarians are paid, or not, for officiating at animal based events such as races, shows or competitions their obligations are the same.

It is expected that when acting as official veterinarians at animal based events veterinarians will carry out their role in a manner which is competent, correct, fair, and impartial.

Because of the competitive nature of such events and the potential for commercial gain, it is imperative that veterinarians do not officiate in situations where the perception of a conflict of interest might exist, without that conflict being managed appropriately. Refer to the Explanatory Notes for section 3 of this part of the Code for further guidance.

Before undertaking any official duties veterinarians must ensure they have a full knowledge of the expected duties and associated rules.

Where veterinarians' official duties at such events include the performance of veterinary clinical assessments and treatments, they must ensure that they possess the necessary competency, equipment and materials expected.

When making clinical assessments veterinarians must ensure that the welfare of the animals involved is protected and their decisions are not related to the value of the animal or any betting related impact.



When attending an animal known to be competing in any event, veterinarians must ensure that they are aware of and comply with the relevant rules of the body responsible for organising the event providing such rules are lawful and do not contradict the requirements of this Code.



Where available, veterinarians must be aware of, and take account of, relevant published guidelines which provide authoritative advice on detection times for therapeutic substances used when treating competing animals.

When veterinarians are considering the administration of therapeutic substances, the welfare of the animal must take precedence over decisions based purely on clearance times and the desire to have the animals competing in a particular event.

Veterinarians must not administer treatments which will unfairly influence the performance of the animal.



The promotion of services and products offered by the profession occurs in various ways. Sometimes promotion occurs through direct contact between veterinarians and existing or potential clients. Other forms of promotion are indirect through electronic or written communications, promotional activities, advertising, and media.

When promoting services and products veterinarians need to take care not to claim or imply any personal superiority of professional attributes relative to other veterinarians and must not act in a manner that may impair public confidence in the profession, such as to discredit other veterinary services or products.

Veterinarians need to be accurate when promoting services and products. They must not mislead or deceive the public directly nor by implication, omission, ambiguity, or exaggerated claim or comparison of their service or product over another. When comparing products, veterinarians must only make comparison between products with a similar intended purpose of use.

Promotion involving scientific terminology should be appropriate but also able to be readily understood by the audience to whom it is directed.

When advertising their services and products, veterinarians must act in accordance with the advertising codes of practice. The Advertising Codes of Practice are overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority and establish the following five basic principles.

The various codes of practice for advertising can be found at www.asa.co.nz.

When advertising a registered veterinary Medicine, veterinarians must act in accordance with MPI guidance. The MPI Advertising guidelines for products registered under the ACVM Act sets out MPI expectations under the ACVM Act regarding the standards to be maintained by veterinarians when advertising and promoting veterinary medicines.

Endorsements and testimonials involve the public declaration or personal approval by a veterinarian for a product or service. Such activities are a form of advertising and must comply with the guidelines above. In addition any veterinarian providing an endorsement or testimonial must:

The VCNZ Policy on Use of Titles provides further guidance and covers:

Under the Veterinarians Act 2005 a person is not entitled to be registered, or to continue to practise subsequent to registration, if they cannot practise satisfactorily because of a mental or physical condition.



Conditions that may affect a veterinarian's ability to practise include:

The VCNZ Policy on Health Impaired Veterinarians sets out how VCNZ manages unwell practitioners.



Veterinarians who face up to a problem and report their difficulty to VCNZ take the first important step towards recovery. Some veterinarians are not aware they have problems, and resist any offers of support. If professional help is not sought, it is often only a matter of time before serious problems occur. VCNZ's experience is that where an illness is treatable, early intervention usually enables veterinarians to continue practising while receiving treatment. However where this is not the case it is vital, in the public interest, that the veterinarian is closely monitored if that is appropriate and safe, or discontinues work if necessary.



Covering up for a colleague is counterproductive. Without help and support, an unfit veterinarian risks putting patients, the profession and his or her reputation in jeopardy.



Questions to consider in deciding whether to notify VCNZ.

It is strongly recommended that veterinarians notify VCNZ in circumstances when:

Veterinarians are required to maintain their competence in the areas they practise in. In situations where a veterinarian's competence has been called into question VCNZ can assess their practise and put in place remedial measures if competence is found wanting.

The VCNZ Policy on Competence and Competence Assessment contains further information and sets out what VCNZ takes into consideration in deciding whether to undertake a competence assessment.

Questions to consider in deciding whether to notify VCNZ.

It is strongly recommended that veterinarians notify VCNZ in circumstances when:

The Code of Professional Conduct sets out the professional and ethical conduct standards veterinarians are expected to meet. Breaches of the Code can result in charges of professional misconduct being laid against the veterinarian before the VCNZ's Judicial Committee.



Veterinarians concerned about the conduct of another veterinarian can make a formal complaint to VCNZ (under s 38 of the Veterinarians Act 2005) or notify it as a concern.



Questions to consider in deciding whether to notify VCNZ.

It is strongly recommended that veterinarians notify VCNZ in circumstances when:

It is recommended that employers consider specifying, in their employment agreements with veterinarian staff, the circumstances under which they will notify VCNZ. For example where the veterinarian resigns or is dismissed for reasons of poor performance, misconduct or health issues which are impacting on their fitness to practise.

Notifications about a fellow veterinarian should be in writing to the VCNZ Registrar and include the notifier's name and contact details.

Formal complaints must be in writing.

VCNZ prefers to disclose the identity of the person who has made the notification to the veterinarian concerned. It is difficult to comply with the requirements of the Veterinarians Act 2005 and the principles of natural justice when the identity of the complainant/notifier is not known.

It is usual to disclose the whole of the notification or complaint letter to the veterinarian so that he or she knows all of the circumstances surrounding the concerns raised. This will generally be the case unless there is a need to withhold information, for example, if the notifier has a genuine fear of retaliation or harm or there is reference to confidential information about other individuals for one of the statutory reasons set out in s27 and s29 of the Privacy Act 1993.

It is recommended that, before referring a matter to VCNZ, veterinarians contact the VCNZ Registrar to find out what information VCNZ expects to be provided.

Veterinarians must declare any health conditions with the potential to affect their fitness to practise in their annual practising certificate applications.



Conditions that may affect a veterinarian's ability to practise include:

Veterinarians should not rely on their own assessment of the impact of their condition on their practice. If in doubt the condition should be notified or advice sought from the VCNZ Registrar.

It is strongly recommended that veterinarians notify VCNZ of any health issues at the time they arise and not wait until the annual practising certificate renewal round. VCNZ's experience is that early notification and early intervention results in better outcomes. Unless VCNZ can work with the veterinarian and treating health practitioners at the beginning, there is a likelihood that treatment plans may need to be altered following the (later) practising certificate declaration.

The VCNZ Policy on Health Impaired Veterinarians sets out how VCNZ manages unwell practitioners. The approach is non-judgmental, rehabilitative and confidential, except in extreme cases where the veterinarian refuses to co-operate and the public interest is threatened.

Notifications should be in writing to the VCNZ Registrar and include copies of medical reports where relevant.

Before notifying veterinarians are encouraged to contact the VCNZ Registrar to discuss their situation and to find out what information is needed.



VCNZ must be satisfied that veterinarians remain competent and fit to practise. Matters occurring in New Zealand or overseas that may bring a veterinarian's competence or fitness to practise into question include:

Veterinarians must declare such matters in their annual practicing certificate applications.

It is also strongly recommended that veterinarians notify VCNZ of these matters at the time they occur and not wait until the annual practising certificate renewal round.

Veterinarians should not rely on their own assessment as to whether this matter impacts adversely on their practice. If in doubt the matter should be notified or advice sought from the VCNZ Registrar.

Failure to notify can have serious consequences.

The VCNZ Policy on Competence and Competence Assessment contains information on how VCNZ manages performance concerns.

Notifications about conduct are considered in the first instance by VCNZ, to determine whether the matter adversely affects the veterinarian's fitness to practise. VCNZ takes into account the individual circumstances of each case. For example, in the case of convictions or adverse disciplinary findings, VCNZ will consider:

Notifications should be in writing to the VCNZ Registrar and include copies of relevant background information. For example copies of disciplinary findings and orders, conviction notices etc.

Before notifying VCNZ, veterinarians are encouraged to contact the VCNZ Registrar to discuss their situation and to find out what information is needed.



Many veterinarians will receive complaints from members of the public or other veterinarians at some stage during the course of their career. The way that a practice responds can often have an impact on the outcome of the complaint and also the way that the veterinarian and the profession are perceived by the public.

A complaint is a verbal or written concern expressed to the veterinarian or a staff member of the practice (or place of employment) that contains one or more issues that relate to a particular activity undertaken by that veterinarian or the practice on their behalf.

The initial response to a complaint should include acknowledgement of receipt and an indication of the process by which the complaint will be handled. This can be an immediate explanation, or an outline of the investigation process and expectation of time frames for reporting.

The response can be given by the veterinarian or delegated to another person within the business. It is recommended that records of the complaint and the process and detail of the response are kept by the veterinarian.

It is important that the complaint is responded to in a timely manner. The time taken to respond should be appropriate to the circumstances of the complaint and the requirement for satisfactory understanding of the issue to be gained by the veterinarian. It is important that an agreed timeframe is reached early.

Honesty is a core component of professional integrity and integral to the maintenance of public trust and confidence. Sometime genuine mistakes can be made by a veterinarian in the course of their activities, so early acknowledgement of these in an open manner will often avoid subsequent complaints.

A constructive approach to complaints acknowledges the reasons for the complaint and works towards providing a satisfactory outcome. This is preferable to anger, defensive behaviour or confrontation. While some complaints may be vexatious or totally unfounded, a professional approach should always be maintained.

Many complaints that occur are the result of poor communication or lack of alignment between client expectation and outcome. Clear communication prior to the onset of work on behalf of clients and careful attention to consent processes will also reduce the number of subsequent complaints.

As well as receiving complaints directly from clients, veterinarians from time to time will find themselves investigated by a Complaints Assessment Committee for a complaint that has been forwarded to VCNZ. The principles of honesty and timeliness outlined above apply equally in the context of a CAC investigation. However, the responsibility for answering the complaint in this situation rests with the veterinarian specified in the CAC correspondence. Veterinarians are advised to seek guidance and support from NZVA, their lawyer or their professional indemnity providers when they find themselves in this situation.



Veterinarians are encouraged to seek advice regarding complaints from VCNZ, NZVA or their lawyer when dealing with difficult complaint situations, and are encouraged to do this even if the veterinarian may regard the complaint as vexatious.