What happens when a non-veterinarian takes the helm of a veterinary practice? In this chat, Tom Dinwiddie reveals how his business background and people-first approach have transformed Wanganui Veterinary Services and Vets on Carlton into genuine Employers of Choice in New Zealand's veterinary landscape.
At the heart of Tom's management philosophy lies a refreshing commitment to autonomy and accountability. "We allow people to make their own decisions and work autonomously," he explains, sharing real examples of team members who've flourished under this approach—from the young vet who researched and recommended dental X-ray equipment to the reserved nurse who blossomed into a confident leader.
This trust extends to equipment needs and continuing education, with the practice generously supporting veterinarians' professional interests, whether in advanced dentistry, ultrasound techniques, or orthopaedic surgery.
Beyond the clinic walls, Tom paints a vivid picture of Whanganui as "New Zealand's best-kept secret"—a place where veterinary professionals can truly have it all. With affordable housing, excellent schools, and boundless outdoor adventures from river kayaking to mountain climbing, the area offers the quintessential New Zealand lifestyle without the constraints of big-city living.
The clinic's success in integrating international veterinary skills is exemplified by Hein, a Dutch veterinarian who joined after falling in love with the Whanganui River during a kayak trip and has now built a life and orthopaedic skills there over ten years.
For veterinary professionals contemplating their next career move, this conversation presents a compelling alternative to the traditional vet-owned practice model—one where personal and professional growth go hand in hand, all within one of New Zealand's most liveable communities.
Visit vetclinicjobs.com/vets-on-carlton to discover how you could be part of this exceptional team.
Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.
The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Julie South | Veterinary R (00:05):
This is Veterinary Voices and I'm
Julie South.
Veterinary Voices is all aboutshowcasing employer of choice
veterinary clinics, thoseclinics that are absolutely 100%
great to work at.
Veterinary Voices is brought toyou by VetClinicJobscom.
The job board, direct hiring,reimagined no agency.
(00:28):
To find out more about theclinics that we profile, visit
vetclinicjobscom.
Today I catch up with TomDinwiddie of Whanganui Vet
Services and Vets on Carlton.
If you're a veterinaryprofessional who's qualified to
(00:49):
work in New Zealand and you'relooking to make your next
professional move, then staytuned, because the job at Vets
on Carlton could be just whatyou've been waiting for.
To find out more about the job,visit vetclinicjobscom.
Slash vets on Carlton, andthat's vets hyphen on hyphen
(01:12):
Carlton.
To make it easy for you, alllinks will be in the show notes
of wherever you're listening tothis right now.
Now, let's let's head on overto the chat that I had with Tom.
Tom, can you tell me please howyou came to be the owner of
(01:39):
Whanganui Veterinary Servicesand how Vets on Carlton came to
be?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (01:42):
So I started with Whanganui
Veterinary Services in 2001.
It was after about five years Iwas given the opportunity to
buy shares.
I guess that was through theopen-mindedness of the head
veterinarian, david Barton, whoat the time could see there was
an opportunity to includenon-veterinarians in veterinary
(02:03):
practice.
I was very keen to buy shares.
Settled in Whanganui with ayoung family, and it was the
opportunity to be invested in abusiness From there.
Over time, with retirements, ourshareholdings have changed
slightly and our currentshareholding is there's four of
us involved in the business, twonon-veterinarians and two
veterinarians.
We've got a sales manager whoprimarily spends his time
(02:26):
working with farmers, who's a10% shareholder.
We've got another veterinarianwho's taken on 10% and Peter
Scott has a 40% shareholding, asI do as well, and that makes up
the 100%.
Presently we've got to the timewhere Peter, after 33 years,
has decided to retire.
(02:46):
We're looking to take on newshareholders at the present time
and some of the others aregoing to take on more shares
than what they have presentlyand with his retirement we
obviously need to find aveterinarian to pick up the
mantle from where he's left offafter such a long career in the
same business.
Julie South | Veterinary R (03:07):
It's really unusual, in New Zealand
at least, for vet clinics to beowned by non-veterinarians.
How has that been for you?
I know you don't know anydifferent, because that's the
way it's always been.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (03:22):
I think it's been fine.
I've come from an animal healthbackground, formerly working
for Sharing Plow Animal Health,so I guess and I sold products
to OTC and to veterinarians Iguess came with some knowledge
where I was able to understand,I suppose, some of the things
that they were talking about.
They've been very good athelping me with the technical
(03:43):
side of you know, explaining whyanimals might have a condition
or haven't responded tomedication, that sort of thing.
I think the team here are verygood and open-minded towards the
fact that as a non-veterinarian, I sort of look at it from a
business point of view and theylook at it perhaps more from a
technical side of things andthat works very well.
Julie South | Veterinary Recr (04:08):
I would imagine that, because
you're not a veterinarian, itmeans that there's no
micromanagement by you over yourteam.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (04:20):
No , there certainly isn't.
And one of the things that, asa manager, I try to sort of
build in our whole team is aculture of accountability, for
one thing, but also takingownership, and that means that
we allow people to make theirown decisions and we allow
(04:40):
people to work autonomously andbuild on the knowledge that they
have and to use the knowledgethey have without having to ask
questions.
And, you know, I think theyhave the confidence, I suppose,
to make their own decisions, youknow, within reason.
Julie South | Veterinary Recr (04:59):
A management style like that
means that people are growingand growing in confidence, like
you've just talked about.
Would you be able I realize I'mthrowing you on the on- the
spot here.
Can you think of any instanceswhere a vet or a nurse or
(05:20):
somebody you know, one one ofyour team, has been required or
has stepped up and or beensupported to make a decision and
you've actually decisions,plural, I guess and you've seen
somebody grow because of thestyle of management?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (05:40):
Yes , we had a young vet who had
been with us about a year and wegave her the task.
She went to a dental course andwe gave her the task of
researching dental x-ray andwhat machine we should buy.
That was her job.
She did all the research, didthe pricing, came back with all
the answers and with a bit ofdiscussion from the senior
(06:03):
veterinarians, we went on topurchase what she had come up
with.
I think from that she gained ahuge amount of confidence.
We've seen the dental side ofthings grow hugely through the
use of dental x-ray where wewere perhaps lacking before.
Some of the people we've got asthey have progressed through
the organisation.
(06:23):
There has been the ability forvet nurses especially to step
into more lead roles and we havea head vet nurse at the moment
in Whanganui Vet Services whostarted off with us straight out
of certificate nursing.
While she's been a nurse atwork she also completed her
diploma.
She now leads the team.
(06:44):
She's the head vet nurse andshe's progressed through From, I
guess, being a quieter personwith perhaps a reserved nature.
You've seen her grow anddevelop into a really good head
vet nurse who has the ability tolead other people and I think
she's probably surprised herselfas to what she's capable of.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (07:09):
How does Whanganui Veterinary
Services and Vets on Carlton,how do they interrelate?
I sort of think of them asbeing perhaps sister clinics.
Would that be a fair analogy?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (07:28):
Yes , the two clinics that aside
each other in Whanganui and theyoperate as sister clinics.
The Whanganui VeterinaryServices handles the true mixed
animal practice where we handleall the larger animal type work
as well as a fair swag of smallanimal work as well.
Vets on Carlton is a practicethat was purchased, I guess many
(07:49):
years ago, of a retiringveterinarian.
It sits there and, I guess,takes the burden of all the
small animal practice.
It has its own culture, whichis slightly, you know it is
different to ours.
The clinic is custom built,it's new, which is slightly, you
know it is different to ours.
The clinic is custom built,it's new.
The clientele there don't haveto walk into a showroom full of
(08:11):
drench and other thing.
That's very much customized tosmall animal type veterinary
service.
Julie South | Veterinary (08:14):
You're looking for a companion animal
veterinarian ostensiblycompanion animal because they're
going to be based at Vets onCarlton.
What would a typical day looklike for them?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (08:31):
A typical day in Vets on Carlton
would involve either consultingor surgery or a mixture of both.
Sometimes they will consultuntil morning tea time and then
move into surgery, depending onwhat the expected workload is in
the surgery team or what'sbooked in.
This is a system that's workedfor them very well in the past.
If they have a larger surgeryday, one of the veterinarians
(08:52):
will be solely based in surgeryfor the day.
The consulting veterinarianwould be consulting for the day
and have a list pre-booked andhave a list pre-booked.
The consulting veterinarianwould be there with a list.
That's usually fairly wellpre-booked.
Appointments are 15 minuteslong.
We do extend those out forlonger consulting procedures
(09:19):
such as air conditions or skinconditions where we know we're
going to need more time.
There is little quirks thatPeter has done in the past.
He has been the only exportveterinarian in Whanganui and
that has led him to, I guess,quite a lot of business and time
spent exporting dogs overseasfor breeders and for anyone that
(09:40):
is making a move abroad.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (09:43):
Is that something that you would
like to see continued?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (09:47):
if somebody has an interest in
paperwork, yes, we would like tosee the export certificates
continued.
I think it's a good servicethat is sought after.
So there's lots of differentsituations where people might
want to move an animal overseas.
It does take a bit of paperworkand a bit of understanding of
the regulations, but it'scertainly quite a rewarding
(10:08):
thing and it could be.
Sometimes it's the finalgoodbye to a very good client
and it's a nice way to finish ifyou can provide that service
right through.
Sometimes it fare well for afew years and then they come
back remember the good job thatwas done when they had left New
Zealand.
Julie South | Veterinary (10:27):
Let's talk about coming back to
Whanganui, but maybe not comingback, but starting off afresh.
You've brought up a family inWhanganui.
Are you a local, and what'sthat been like for you?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (10:45):
I moved to Whanganui in 1996.
I wasn't from Whanganui butquickly made it my home and
settled here.
I've raised two children inWhanganui and my daughter just
said to me the other day she's23 now and she said that it was
a great place to grow up.
The schooling here is very good.
You've got some great countryschools just out of town.
(11:09):
There's Wanganui Intermediateand Wanganui High School, which
provide on the whole for themajority of kids, and they've
both got very good records.
Also we have two privateschools in St George's for
intermediate or primary school,to intermediate, and Whanganui
Collegiate, which takes girlsand boys through their secondary
(11:29):
school years as a privateschool.
So there's plenty of optionsfor people with their schooling.
Whanganui is a beautiful townand I always tell people it's
New Zealand's best kept secret.
For people that haven't beenhere or don't know the place
very well, they usually arequite surprised at what they
find.
Having lived here, I still findthings that I didn't know
existed here.
That's kind of the quirkynature of Whanganui.
(11:51):
You can always find a littlenook and cranny where there's
something there that's beenthere for many years and you
never knew it existed.
There's lots of opportunitiesin the outdoors, sporting-wise
or just getting out tramping.
There's access to beaches.
The river is a great source ofpastimes the rowing, waka, ama,
(12:11):
the multi-sport club, kayaking.
There's a lot of differentactivities here.
People have gone on to greatthings in multi-sport competing
in coast-to-coast and all sortsof things and they do most of
the training in Whanganui.
We have a velodrome, open-airvelodrome which still gets used.
Cook's Gardens running track isone of New Zealand's
better-known running tracks.
(12:31):
Peter Snell famously broke thefour-minute mile here and
there's a statue of him sittingthere at the park.
Out and about in the greaterparts of Whanganui there's ample
opportunity to go get out andabout, go tramping.
There's opportunities forhunting lots of deer goats,
smaller prey rabbits.
Many farmers are quite happy tohave people venture out on
(12:54):
their properties because it allcomes down to keeping a control
on numbers.
There are some pretty heroes incountry out the back there, but
it's great to get out and,amongst it, experience the great
outdoors.
We also have the National Parkon one side of us with the river
coming down.
There's some greatopportunities up there.
The kayak trip down the river isquite spectacular.
(13:14):
The bridge to nowhere trip youcan jet boat up to the bridge to
nowhere and walk in to a bridgein the middle of the bush, as
per the name, and it's one of.
I guess on a nice day one ofthe highlights of my time in
Whanganui is going up to thebridge to nowhere.
We're also very close to a lotof other amenities.
Mount Ruapehu for skiing isless than two hours away so you
(13:38):
can leave Whanganui, you know,reasonably early in the morning,
be on the slopes eighto'clock-ish and up with everyone
else that's stayed up there onthe mountain.
Myself I've climbed MountNgarahoe, I've climbed Mount
Taranaki.
I took my kids up there, madethem climb up with me.
There's plenty of things.
I mean they're well withindistance for day tripping.
(13:59):
Coastal opportunities thefishing off Whanganui is very
well known, not uncommon to beable to go down to the beach
even and put a long line out anddrag in a good feed of snapper.
Julie South | Veterina (14:16):
Describe to me the makeup, the mix of
your team.
You're talking about lots ofoutdoorsy things here, which is
you're part of New Zealand'sheartland, like your outdoorsy
mountain climbing is.
Are you typical of your team?
Is somebody coming in going tothink I've got to be a mountain
climber to to fit in with thisteam, or I've got to be, you
(14:39):
know, a tramper or into thegreat outdoors?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (14:42):
We have a very diverse team, all
sorts of different interests.
Our veterinary team havedifferent interests and
different skills and differentranges of experience, which is
great.
It makes for great collegialsupport and opportunities to
learn off each other In terms oftheir backgrounds.
We have one veterinarian fromHolland who's come out here and
really enjoyed all the thingsthat Whanganui has to offer.
(15:05):
We have a mix of male andfemale veterinarians.
There's also, I guess, a goodcross-section of interests.
We've had the great bake-offchocolate cake over two weeks
and that brought the best out ineverybody, everybody, and the
winning cake was quite something.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (15:23):
Is that something that happens
regularly?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (15:27):
I wouldn't say regularly, but we
have these things that happenand they seem to just happen
from a bright idea and peopleseem to come on board and enjoy
it.
At the moment we've got anAnzac Day feature outside the
clinic.
A couple of the nurses one ofthe vets decided that they
wanted to put on an Anzac Dayfeature outside the clinic.
A couple of the nurses one ofthe vets decided that they
wanted to put in an Anzac Dayfeature.
So we've got a verywell-designed front lawn.
(15:48):
We've had a lot of veryfavourable comment.
It looks pretty smart.
Julie South | Veterinary R (15:51):
What software do you use?
Are you Vision EasyVet?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (15:56):
So we use VetLink.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (16:00):
Do you have VIN?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (16:02):
Yes , we have VIN.
The resource gets used everynow and then downstairs, so it's
good to have access to thosetypes of things.
Julie South | Veterinary R (16:08):
This is for vets on Carlton as well.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (16:10):
Yes , it's available through both
clinics.
I think in the clinic we have agood range of toys and the vets
get to put forward if they wantsomething new.
We're quite open to investingin something new which has some
value.
Also, I would say that vetshave the opportunity to follow
(16:35):
their interests.
So we strongly encourage CPDand are willing to pay and
invest in people to furthertheir knowledge and their
interests.
So there is an opportunity forpeople to really pursue
something that they're very keenon and we see that as
strengthening the whole teambecause we've got a broad range
of skills.
It does allow people to spreadthe word within the clinic when
(16:59):
they come back and everyonelearns from the skills that
people have picked up.
We've sent two of our largeanimal veterinarians to
Australia to do equine dentalcourses over the past five years
, which has been very useful.
We have vets.
Rebecca has gone to a couple ofultrasound courses so she's
(17:25):
progressed her ultrasoundtechniques.
We've had two people attenddental courses in the last year.
That's been great forfurthering the exposure to
dental medicine within theclinic.
We've had Hein medicine withinthe clinic.
(17:46):
We've had Hein who's come fromHolland and wished to follow
orthopaedics as an interest andpretty much from a standing
start, has progressed through toa point where he is doing some
quite advanced work, which isgood for Whanganui.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (17:57):
You mentioned just now that you've
got lots of toys, and earlier onyou mentioned somebody having a
penchant for dental work.
Are you able to give me anotherexample of where somebody said
I would really like this?
Whatever this is, and becausethey've put forward a good
(18:23):
presentation to you, you'vesupported them.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (18:27):
Well , I think there's lots of
examples where people have cometo me and said we need something
replaced or we need somethingnew.
And I always take the, Isuppose, fairly generous outlook
on it and think, well, ifthey're coming to me and telling
me that it's necessary or willbe good, then it most likely is
(18:47):
going to be of some use and orneeds to be replaced, and so I
don't really have muchhesitation in approving the
purchase of new equipment orreplacement equipment.
Last week we needed to get anew monitor and we had one that
was playing up and rather thankeep repairing it we decided
we'd just buy a new one and saveourselves the headache of
(19:10):
trying to keep repairing the oldone.
It's those little things, Ithink, that matter.
We don't, and it makes people'slives easier, so we don't want
to make it hard for them.
There is the opportunity inWhanganui Veterinary Services to
get an all-round exposure toveterinary profession in New
Zealand in a mixed animalpractice.
(19:32):
Out in a provincial town or citylike Whanganui we spend quite a
bit of time with our graduatesgetting them mentored.
We don't let them do after hoursuntil they've been with us for
six months.
That's to make sure that theyare comfortable and they have, I
guess, first of all, masteredthe consult room and dealing
(19:53):
with people.
They've become accustomed tothe clinic, where everything is,
and they also, I guess, cangrow in confidence and start
believing in themselves by aboutsix months in so we're always
conscious that people learn atdifferent times, so we try and
(20:13):
keep an eye on people.
We've had some very, very goodgraduates in the last five years
and I think every one of themhas made the progression into
being a really good vet inalmost record time, and it never
ceases to amaze us how quicklythey do progress sometimes.
So I think that goes down tothe older team members, the
(20:37):
older vets that look after andmentor the younger ones and
bring them through.
It's a matter of giving themthe confidence to believe in
themselves and believe in whatthey already probably know and
put it into practice.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (20:50):
Do you have ways of formally
sharing information?
Do you have regular teammeetings, monthly, quarterly?
Whatever case studies, what's?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (21:04):
that like.
Yes, we have a vet meeting,normally every six to eight
weeks, just depending onworkload and who's around.
Sometimes it doesn't alwayswork and we always go out for
dinner afterwards.
It's a great chance.
The meeting usually takes aboutan hour and a half.
We share, I guess, things thatwe could improve in the clinic
around process and anything thatmay need fixing in terms of
(21:28):
process.
We also talk about conferencesand, I guess, cases where people
may have something that's goingto benefit everyone and if we
kind of break down those casesbit by bit, there's kind of some
good learning to take out of it.
The dinner afterwards thatforms part of some of our vet's
social life, especially thosethat have got young kids and
(21:49):
they don't get out often andthey look forward to their
dinner to the point where Isometimes get asked when's our
next vet meeting?
And I know that it's becausethey just want to get out and
have a good night out.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:00):
Yeah , that's good to hear.
You mentioned that you've gotsomebody from the Netherlands
with you.
Yes, was this their first jobin New Zealand?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (22:11):
Yes , we met Hein online,
interviewed him, and he had beena vet in Holland for a number
of years a small number of yearsand then he had been to New
Zealand and done the kayak tripdown the Whanganui River and he
had some very strong andfavourable memories of that trip
and how he came down and hedreamed when he came to
(22:33):
Whanganui that he would be ableto kayak to work and home again
as the river flows past thefront of the clinic.
So when he came to Whanganui hewas already, I suppose,
conversant with the town and thebeauty of the area and he's
stayed with us for 10 years andsettled here.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:52):
Does he kayak to work?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (22:53):
He didn't by a house that was
close to the river,unfortunately.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:58):
Does he kayak at lunchtime?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (23:00):
Yes , well, not at lunchtime, but in
his days off.
He actually now goes kayakingdown the Whanganui River and
different places aroundWhanganui and actually I was out
delivering drinks this morningand he's actually at work but I
saw the kayakers all diving intothe river at the top of the
Mangamahu Valley, which theWhangāhu River flows down there,
and I know he's done that inhis time off.
So I did laugh to see them allpopping their kayaks in the
(23:24):
river and thought of Hein andhis sort of a popping their
kayaks in the river and thoughtof Hein and his sort of a.
Yeah, he does I mean he does.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (23:32):
His kayaking has been something
he's really got stuck into.
Really, Did the clinic supporthim in integration and getting
so?
They weren't, you know,outsiders?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (23:41):
Yes , when they came.
When Hein came to Whanganui, wesupported him and we rented a
house for him so he could movestraight in to a nice suburb in
Whanganui.
We supported him and we renteda house for him so he could move
straight in to a nice suburb inWhanganui.
After some time he took overthe rental and then in time he
bought his own house.
He saw the opportunity, putdown roots in Whanganui, bought
his own house.
(24:01):
When he first came out we spentsome time with him, showing him
the sites of Whanganui, Isuppose, and got him out, having
dinner and sort of introducinghim to as many people as
possible so he knew or couldquickly build up a network of
friends.
I think having young kids thatwere just about to go into
(24:22):
school was a great plus for him.
So they integrated into localschooling really well and met a
lot of people through the localschool.
I remember showing him around.
I just happened.
I like ABBA, you're giving yourage away.
Julie South | Veterinary R (24:39):
Yeah .
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (24:40):
And he hopped in my vehicle and I
didn't even realise it wasplaying.
He said to me in his Dutchaccent Tom, there is something
very comforting about workingfor a man who likes ABBA.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (24:50):
Are they Dutch?
Abba is not from.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (24:54):
No , no, they're from.
Julie South | Veterinary (24:56):
Sweden , sweden, yeah, that's right.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (24:59):
But I guess ABBA is known all over
the world and I guess for mostpeople a fairly outdated band
but I still enjoy listening toit.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (25:06):
You put ABBA on and everybody will
take to the dance floor.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wang (25:10):
That's right, that's right.
Julie South | Veteri (25:11):
Provincial New Zealand, of which I would
describe Whanganui.
You've got somebody coming inwho has an accent.
How was he welcomed?
Because it's really easy forprovincial New Zealand to be
quite closed and notparticularly welcoming of
(25:37):
foreigners.
How was that for?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (25:42):
Hein arrived in Whanganui.
He integrated really easily.
We have a lot of people fromdifferent places.
We have doctors and dentists,many South Africans.
Whanganui is a funny placewhere the population is over
40,000 and yet you walk down thestreet and it's not uncommon to
(26:02):
run into someone you know.
So there's a real communityfeel here and I guess one of the
comments that many people makecoming to wanganui is how
friendly it is.
So I think integrating into thelocal community is it's
probably one of the easierplaces in new zealand to
actually come here as a foreignperson and feel you have a, have
(26:24):
a, there's a space here for youand there's somewhere where
people accept you and there'slots of different people to meet
.
I guess there's so many thingsin wanganui that I kind of
forget them all.
There's the waimari goes up theriver on a daily basis the
paddle steamer.
We have a market here onsaturday mornings.
That is one of the bettermarkets in in new zealand.
(26:48):
You can wander around there ona nice Saturday morning and
spend about two hours chattingto people.
There's coffee shops.
The other thing that isimportant for anyone moving here
is how cost-effective I supposeWhanganui is.
Our housing here has a lowermedian.
I suppose many other towns do.
(27:10):
It's not to say the houses areany worse.
It's just that Whanganui, byand large, sits here as a
provincial town that hasn't beenso greatly affected by the ups
and downs of the economy.
So we haven't soared, I guess,like New Zealand did.
But we certainly at the momentare going along very nicely,
(27:31):
probably not hurting as much assome of the bigger centres are.
Julie South | Veterinary R (27:34):
It's still very much affordable.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (27:37):
Oh , absolutely, yeah, yeah.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (27:39):
And you have some beautiful villas.
Your sections are largecompared to you know.
You haven't been intenselysubdivided.
The Kiwi quarter acre dream canstill happen in Whanganui.
You've got some beautifulvillas.
(28:00):
You've got some really modernarchitecture, of which Betzon
Carlton would be an example ofthat, even though the clinic's
been there for a while.
Your streets are nice and wide.
It's like New Zealand used tobe and still is.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wang (28:17):
That's right.
I think the last time I got aparking ticket, it cost me $13.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (28:21):
Wow , do you have parking wardens?
Well, I guess you must do right, we do.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (28:28):
We quaintly used to have parking
meters that only took coinsuntil quite recently, and now
we've progressed that we takecards as well as coins, and I
still see people putting coinsin the meters in Whanganui
because it's, I guess, a habitfrom a long way back, a long way
back.
Ridgeway Street often wins oris a finalist in the most
(28:49):
beautiful street for a smallcity in New Zealand.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (28:53):
Did you know that Whanganui sorry,
whanganui is New Zealand's onlyUNESCO city, unesco designed
city in New Zealand, of whichthere are only 49 worldwide in
this particular category?
Did you know that?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (29:12):
I kind of heard something along
those lines, but I didn't hearit If you had asked me.
The truth is no.
We were named as the mostconnected city in New Zealand
some years back based upon theearly adoption of Viber.
I guess how quickly Whanganuias a city got into connecting
people up Our rates lower thanmost cities around New Zealand.
(29:34):
We still complain about them.
But yeah, I went to Wellingtonthe other day and it was 11,000,
the lady told me for a biggersection, an older house In
Whanganui, it's about 4,000.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (29:45):
Oh , you're talking council rates.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wan (29:48):
Council rates, yeah, because you went
straight from being fibreconnected yeah, yeah, Well, it's
sort of a council that drivesthese things, and I suppose the
vision of the council justreminded me of it, and this year
we're having a 2.2% proposedincrease in rates and I see many
places 15% and 18% around NewZealand.
(30:09):
So I think we're very luckythat we have a council that is
very conscious of cost and we'veactually bent money wisely in
the past to make sure that someof the things that needed to be
done, like stormwater separation, were done in the early days
when the costs were lower, andwe haven't put it off until a
later date.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (30:30):
Why should somebody come work at
Vets on Carlton?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (30:33):
I think they're joining a really
great team of people.
We have a great team ofveterinary nurses and the
clients we have are, again, verydown-to-earth people.
The day-to-day interaction withpeople can be a really great
experience and over time peopledo come to know you and the
(30:57):
Whanganui kind of small-vibefeel is very much part of that,
where you go to the supermarketand they say hello to their
local veterinarian.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (31:09):
Is the cemetery cycle race Boxing
Day.
Does that still happen?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (31:15):
Yes , we still have the Boxing Day
races.
That's a big thing on thecalendar, happens every year,
draws people from all over.
They also have the street dragraces here, which has become
bigger, which they do down onTaupo Key as well.
It's another motorsport event.
They just close off the streetdown on taupo key as well.
It's another motorsport event.
They just close off the streetdown on the key there and they
have drag races.
Doesn't always happen, butplumber dan, who is a local
(31:36):
plumber, has been instrumentalin bringing many charity-based
events to wanganui.
We have the duck race, wherethey release a thousand ducks
with a number on it, so it'sentered like a raffle and the
winning duck gets a prize.
But the end result is thatcharity usually Plunkett or
(31:56):
someone like that Cancer Societyreceives a sizable check from
the work that's done.
For that.
We have a raft race.
We also used to have a soapboxderby and I know they're not
doing it this year, but it willbe something that will return.
That also is a full-on day ofsoapbox racing down the hill
(32:19):
from the museum and it's anaction-packed day with some very
entertaining and novel entriesthat have been home-built.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (32:27):
It sounds to me like a great
opportunity for lots of forms tobe filled out for the poor
event organisers with health andsafety.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wan (32:38):
Exactly .
Julie South | Veterinary R (32:43):
It's easy to think that when the
boss says that everything'sgreat, they have to say that
because they're the boss.
If that's a thought that youmay be wondering, then hit
follow in your listening appwhere you can tune in again over
the upcoming weeks and listento where I catch up with Tom's
employees, employees.
(33:11):
These are the vets, the nursesand the support staff, who all
talk about what it's like towork at Whanganui Vets and Vets
on Carlton.
As you'll hear if you tune in,they all agree that these two
clinics are absolutely greatplaces to work and deserve their
vet clinic jobs.
Employer of choice confirmationthat the people really do come
(33:31):
first.
Thanks for listening.
Remember to check outvetclinicjobscom.
Slash vets on Carlton.
And that's with hyphens betweenthe vets on Carlton Vets hyphen
on hyphen Carlton.
This is Julie South signing outand thanking you for listening
(33:53):
to the end.
Remember to check outvetclinicjobscom.
It is the job board.
It's the job board.
It's all about direct hiring.
Reimagined no agency.
This is Veterinary Voices and I'm
Julie South.
Veterinary Voices is all aboutshowcasing employer of choice
veterinary clinics, thoseclinics that are absolutely 100%
great to work at.
Veterinary Voices is brought toyou by VetClinicJobscom.
The job board, direct hiring,reimagined no agency.
(00:28):
To find out more about theclinics that we profile, visit
vetclinicjobscom.
Today I catch up with TomDinwiddie of Whanganui Vet
Services and Vets on Carlton.
If you're a veterinaryprofessional who's qualified to
(00:49):
work in New Zealand and you'relooking to make your next
professional move, then staytuned, because the job at Vets
on Carlton could be just whatyou've been waiting for.
To find out more about the job,visit vetclinicjobscom.
Slash vets on Carlton, andthat's vets hyphen on hyphen
(01:12):
Carlton.
To make it easy for you, alllinks will be in the show notes
of wherever you're listening tothis right now.
Now, let's let's head on overto the chat that I had with Tom.
Tom, can you tell me please howyou came to be the owner of
(01:39):
Whanganui Veterinary Servicesand how Vets on Carlton came to
be?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (01:42):
So I started with Whanganui
Veterinary Services in 2001.
It was after about five years Iwas given the opportunity to
buy shares.
I guess that was through theopen-mindedness of the head
veterinarian, david Barton, whoat the time could see there was
an opportunity to includenon-veterinarians in veterinary
(02:03):
practice.
I was very keen to buy shares.
Settled in Whanganui with ayoung family, and it was the
opportunity to be invested in abusiness From there.
Over time, with retirements, ourshareholdings have changed
slightly and our currentshareholding is there's four of
us involved in the business, twonon-veterinarians and two
veterinarians.
We've got a sales manager whoprimarily spends his time
(02:26):
working with farmers, who's a10% shareholder.
We've got another veterinarianwho's taken on 10% and Peter
Scott has a 40% shareholding, asI do as well, and that makes up
the 100%.
Presently we've got to the timewhere Peter, after 33 years,
has decided to retire.
(02:46):
We're looking to take on newshareholders at the present time
and some of the others aregoing to take on more shares
than what they have presentlyand with his retirement we
obviously need to find aveterinarian to pick up the
mantle from where he's left offafter such a long career in the
same business.
Julie South | Veterinary R (03:07):
It's really unusual, in New Zealand
at least, for vet clinics to beowned by non-veterinarians.
How has that been for you?
I know you don't know anydifferent, because that's the
way it's always been.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (03:22):
I think it's been fine.
I've come from an animal healthbackground, formerly working
for Sharing Plow Animal Health,so I guess and I sold products
to OTC and to veterinarians Iguess came with some knowledge
where I was able to understand,I suppose, some of the things
that they were talking about.
They've been very good athelping me with the technical
(03:43):
side of you know, explaining whyanimals might have a condition
or haven't responded tomedication, that sort of thing.
I think the team here are verygood and open-minded towards the
fact that as a non-veterinarian, I sort of look at it from a
business point of view and theylook at it perhaps more from a
technical side of things andthat works very well.
Julie South | Veterinary Recr (04:08):
I would imagine that, because
you're not a veterinarian, itmeans that there's no
micromanagement by you over yourteam.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (04:20):
No , there certainly isn't.
And one of the things that, asa manager, I try to sort of
build in our whole team is aculture of accountability, for
one thing, but also takingownership, and that means that
we allow people to make theirown decisions and we allow
(04:40):
people to work autonomously andbuild on the knowledge that they
have and to use the knowledgethey have without having to ask
questions.
And, you know, I think theyhave the confidence, I suppose,
to make their own decisions, youknow, within reason.
Julie South | Veterinary Recr (04:59):
A management style like that
means that people are growingand growing in confidence, like
you've just talked about.
Would you be able I realize I'mthrowing you on the on- the
spot here.
Can you think of any instanceswhere a vet or a nurse or
(05:20):
somebody you know, one one ofyour team, has been required or
has stepped up and or beensupported to make a decision and
you've actually decisions,plural, I guess and you've seen
somebody grow because of thestyle of management?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (05:40):
Yes , we had a young vet who had
been with us about a year and wegave her the task.
She went to a dental course andwe gave her the task of
researching dental x-ray andwhat machine we should buy.
That was her job.
She did all the research, didthe pricing, came back with all
the answers and with a bit ofdiscussion from the senior
(06:03):
veterinarians, we went on topurchase what she had come up
with.
I think from that she gained ahuge amount of confidence.
We've seen the dental side ofthings grow hugely through the
use of dental x-ray where wewere perhaps lacking before.
Some of the people we've got asthey have progressed through
the organisation.
(06:23):
There has been the ability forvet nurses especially to step
into more lead roles and we havea head vet nurse at the moment
in Whanganui Vet Services whostarted off with us straight out
of certificate nursing.
While she's been a nurse atwork she also completed her
diploma.
She now leads the team.
(06:44):
She's the head vet nurse andshe's progressed through From, I
guess, being a quieter personwith perhaps a reserved nature.
You've seen her grow anddevelop into a really good head
vet nurse who has the ability tolead other people and I think
she's probably surprised herselfas to what she's capable of.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (07:09):
How does Whanganui Veterinary
Services and Vets on Carlton,how do they interrelate?
I sort of think of them asbeing perhaps sister clinics.
Would that be a fair analogy?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (07:28):
Yes , the two clinics that aside
each other in Whanganui and theyoperate as sister clinics.
The Whanganui VeterinaryServices handles the true mixed
animal practice where we handleall the larger animal type work
as well as a fair swag of smallanimal work as well.
Vets on Carlton is a practicethat was purchased, I guess many
(07:49):
years ago, of a retiringveterinarian.
It sits there and, I guess,takes the burden of all the
small animal practice.
It has its own culture, whichis slightly, you know it is
different to ours.
The clinic is custom built,it's new, which is slightly, you
know it is different to ours.
The clinic is custom built,it's new.
The clientele there don't haveto walk into a showroom full of
(08:11):
drench and other thing.
That's very much customized tosmall animal type veterinary
service.
Julie South | Veterinary (08:14):
You're looking for a companion animal
veterinarian ostensiblycompanion animal because they're
going to be based at Vets onCarlton.
What would a typical day looklike for them?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (08:31):
A typical day in Vets on Carlton
would involve either consultingor surgery or a mixture of both.
Sometimes they will consultuntil morning tea time and then
move into surgery, depending onwhat the expected workload is in
the surgery team or what'sbooked in.
This is a system that's workedfor them very well in the past.
If they have a larger surgeryday, one of the veterinarians
(08:52):
will be solely based in surgeryfor the day.
The consulting veterinarianwould be consulting for the day
and have a list pre-booked andhave a list pre-booked.
The consulting veterinarianwould be there with a list.
That's usually fairly wellpre-booked.
Appointments are 15 minuteslong.
We do extend those out forlonger consulting procedures
(09:19):
such as air conditions or skinconditions where we know we're
going to need more time.
There is little quirks thatPeter has done in the past.
He has been the only exportveterinarian in Whanganui and
that has led him to, I guess,quite a lot of business and time
spent exporting dogs overseasfor breeders and for anyone that
(09:40):
is making a move abroad.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (09:43):
Is that something that you would
like to see continued?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (09:47):
if somebody has an interest in
paperwork, yes, we would like tosee the export certificates
continued.
I think it's a good servicethat is sought after.
So there's lots of differentsituations where people might
want to move an animal overseas.
It does take a bit of paperworkand a bit of understanding of
the regulations, but it'scertainly quite a rewarding
(10:08):
thing and it could be.
Sometimes it's the finalgoodbye to a very good client
and it's a nice way to finish ifyou can provide that service
right through.
Sometimes it fare well for afew years and then they come
back remember the good job thatwas done when they had left New
Zealand.
Julie South | Veterinary (10:27):
Let's talk about coming back to
Whanganui, but maybe not comingback, but starting off afresh.
You've brought up a family inWhanganui.
Are you a local, and what'sthat been like for you?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (10:45):
I moved to Whanganui in 1996.
I wasn't from Whanganui butquickly made it my home and
settled here.
I've raised two children inWhanganui and my daughter just
said to me the other day she's23 now and she said that it was
a great place to grow up.
The schooling here is very good.
You've got some great countryschools just out of town.
(11:09):
There's Wanganui Intermediateand Wanganui High School, which
provide on the whole for themajority of kids, and they've
both got very good records.
Also we have two privateschools in St George's for
intermediate or primary school,to intermediate, and Whanganui
Collegiate, which takes girlsand boys through their secondary
(11:29):
school years as a privateschool.
So there's plenty of optionsfor people with their schooling.
Whanganui is a beautiful townand I always tell people it's
New Zealand's best kept secret.
For people that haven't beenhere or don't know the place
very well, they usually arequite surprised at what they
find.
Having lived here, I still findthings that I didn't know
existed here.
That's kind of the quirkynature of Whanganui.
(11:51):
You can always find a littlenook and cranny where there's
something there that's beenthere for many years and you
never knew it existed.
There's lots of opportunitiesin the outdoors, sporting-wise
or just getting out tramping.
There's access to beaches.
The river is a great source ofpastimes the rowing, waka, ama,
(12:11):
the multi-sport club, kayaking.
There's a lot of differentactivities here.
People have gone on to greatthings in multi-sport competing
in coast-to-coast and all sortsof things and they do most of
the training in Whanganui.
We have a velodrome, open-airvelodrome which still gets used.
Cook's Gardens running track isone of New Zealand's
better-known running tracks.
(12:31):
Peter Snell famously broke thefour-minute mile here and
there's a statue of him sittingthere at the park.
Out and about in the greaterparts of Whanganui there's ample
opportunity to go get out andabout, go tramping.
There's opportunities forhunting lots of deer goats,
smaller prey rabbits.
Many farmers are quite happy tohave people venture out on
(12:54):
their properties because it allcomes down to keeping a control
on numbers.
There are some pretty heroes incountry out the back there, but
it's great to get out and,amongst it, experience the great
outdoors.
We also have the National Parkon one side of us with the river
coming down.
There's some greatopportunities up there.
The kayak trip down the river isquite spectacular.
(13:14):
The bridge to nowhere trip youcan jet boat up to the bridge to
nowhere and walk in to a bridgein the middle of the bush, as
per the name, and it's one of.
I guess on a nice day one ofthe highlights of my time in
Whanganui is going up to thebridge to nowhere.
We're also very close to a lotof other amenities.
Mount Ruapehu for skiing isless than two hours away so you
(13:38):
can leave Whanganui, you know,reasonably early in the morning,
be on the slopes eighto'clock-ish and up with everyone
else that's stayed up there onthe mountain.
Myself I've climbed MountNgarahoe, I've climbed Mount
Taranaki.
I took my kids up there, madethem climb up with me.
There's plenty of things.
I mean they're well withindistance for day tripping.
(13:59):
Coastal opportunities thefishing off Whanganui is very
well known, not uncommon to beable to go down to the beach
even and put a long line out anddrag in a good feed of snapper.
Julie South | Veterina (14:16):
Describe to me the makeup, the mix of
your team.
You're talking about lots ofoutdoorsy things here, which is
you're part of New Zealand'sheartland, like your outdoorsy
mountain climbing is.
Are you typical of your team?
Is somebody coming in going tothink I've got to be a mountain
climber to to fit in with thisteam, or I've got to be, you
(14:39):
know, a tramper or into thegreat outdoors?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (14:42):
We have a very diverse team, all
sorts of different interests.
Our veterinary team havedifferent interests and
different skills and differentranges of experience, which is
great.
It makes for great collegialsupport and opportunities to
learn off each other In terms oftheir backgrounds.
We have one veterinarian fromHolland who's come out here and
really enjoyed all the thingsthat Whanganui has to offer.
(15:05):
We have a mix of male andfemale veterinarians.
There's also, I guess, a goodcross-section of interests.
We've had the great bake-offchocolate cake over two weeks
and that brought the best out ineverybody, everybody, and the
winning cake was quite something.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (15:23):
Is that something that happens
regularly?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (15:27):
I wouldn't say regularly, but we
have these things that happenand they seem to just happen
from a bright idea and peopleseem to come on board and enjoy
it.
At the moment we've got anAnzac Day feature outside the
clinic.
A couple of the nurses one ofthe vets decided that they
wanted to put on an Anzac Dayfeature outside the clinic.
A couple of the nurses one ofthe vets decided that they
wanted to put in an Anzac Dayfeature.
So we've got a verywell-designed front lawn.
(15:48):
We've had a lot of veryfavourable comment.
It looks pretty smart.
Julie South | Veterinary R (15:51):
What software do you use?
Are you Vision EasyVet?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (15:56):
So we use VetLink.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (16:00):
Do you have VIN?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (16:02):
Yes , we have VIN.
The resource gets used everynow and then downstairs, so it's
good to have access to thosetypes of things.
Julie South | Veterinary R (16:08):
This is for vets on Carlton as well.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (16:10):
Yes , it's available through both
clinics.
I think in the clinic we have agood range of toys and the vets
get to put forward if they wantsomething new.
We're quite open to investingin something new which has some
value.
Also, I would say that vetshave the opportunity to follow
(16:35):
their interests.
So we strongly encourage CPDand are willing to pay and
invest in people to furthertheir knowledge and their
interests.
So there is an opportunity forpeople to really pursue
something that they're very keenon and we see that as
strengthening the whole teambecause we've got a broad range
of skills.
It does allow people to spreadthe word within the clinic when
(16:59):
they come back and everyonelearns from the skills that
people have picked up.
We've sent two of our largeanimal veterinarians to
Australia to do equine dentalcourses over the past five years
, which has been very useful.
We have vets.
Rebecca has gone to a couple ofultrasound courses so she's
(17:25):
progressed her ultrasoundtechniques.
We've had two people attenddental courses in the last year.
That's been great forfurthering the exposure to
dental medicine within theclinic.
We've had Hein medicine withinthe clinic.
(17:46):
We've had Hein who's come fromHolland and wished to follow
orthopaedics as an interest andpretty much from a standing
start, has progressed through toa point where he is doing some
quite advanced work, which isgood for Whanganui.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (17:57):
You mentioned just now that you've
got lots of toys, and earlier onyou mentioned somebody having a
penchant for dental work.
Are you able to give me anotherexample of where somebody said
I would really like this?
Whatever this is, and becausethey've put forward a good
(18:23):
presentation to you, you'vesupported them.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (18:27):
Well , I think there's lots of
examples where people have cometo me and said we need something
replaced or we need somethingnew.
And I always take the, Isuppose, fairly generous outlook
on it and think, well, ifthey're coming to me and telling
me that it's necessary or willbe good, then it most likely is
(18:47):
going to be of some use and orneeds to be replaced, and so I
don't really have muchhesitation in approving the
purchase of new equipment orreplacement equipment.
Last week we needed to get anew monitor and we had one that
was playing up and rather thankeep repairing it we decided
we'd just buy a new one and saveourselves the headache of
(19:10):
trying to keep repairing the oldone.
It's those little things, Ithink, that matter.
We don't, and it makes people'slives easier, so we don't want
to make it hard for them.
There is the opportunity inWhanganui Veterinary Services to
get an all-round exposure toveterinary profession in New
Zealand in a mixed animalpractice.
(19:32):
Out in a provincial town or citylike Whanganui we spend quite a
bit of time with our graduatesgetting them mentored.
We don't let them do after hoursuntil they've been with us for
six months.
That's to make sure that theyare comfortable and they have, I
guess, first of all, masteredthe consult room and dealing
(19:53):
with people.
They've become accustomed tothe clinic, where everything is,
and they also, I guess, cangrow in confidence and start
believing in themselves by aboutsix months in so we're always
conscious that people learn atdifferent times, so we try and
(20:13):
keep an eye on people.
We've had some very, very goodgraduates in the last five years
and I think every one of themhas made the progression into
being a really good vet inalmost record time, and it never
ceases to amaze us how quicklythey do progress sometimes.
So I think that goes down tothe older team members, the
(20:37):
older vets that look after andmentor the younger ones and
bring them through.
It's a matter of giving themthe confidence to believe in
themselves and believe in whatthey already probably know and
put it into practice.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (20:50):
Do you have ways of formally
sharing information?
Do you have regular teammeetings, monthly, quarterly?
Whatever case studies, what's?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (21:04):
that like.
Yes, we have a vet meeting,normally every six to eight
weeks, just depending onworkload and who's around.
Sometimes it doesn't alwayswork and we always go out for
dinner afterwards.
It's a great chance.
The meeting usually takes aboutan hour and a half.
We share, I guess, things thatwe could improve in the clinic
around process and anything thatmay need fixing in terms of
(21:28):
process.
We also talk about conferencesand, I guess, cases where people
may have something that's goingto benefit everyone and if we
kind of break down those casesbit by bit, there's kind of some
good learning to take out of it.
The dinner afterwards thatforms part of some of our vet's
social life, especially thosethat have got young kids and
(21:49):
they don't get out often andthey look forward to their
dinner to the point where Isometimes get asked when's our
next vet meeting?
And I know that it's becausethey just want to get out and
have a good night out.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:00):
Yeah , that's good to hear.
You mentioned that you've gotsomebody from the Netherlands
with you.
Yes, was this their first jobin New Zealand?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (22:11):
Yes , we met Hein online,
interviewed him, and he had beena vet in Holland for a number
of years a small number of yearsand then he had been to New
Zealand and done the kayak tripdown the Whanganui River and he
had some very strong andfavourable memories of that trip
and how he came down and hedreamed when he came to
(22:33):
Whanganui that he would be ableto kayak to work and home again
as the river flows past thefront of the clinic.
So when he came to Whanganui hewas already, I suppose,
conversant with the town and thebeauty of the area and he's
stayed with us for 10 years andsettled here.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:52):
Does he kayak to work?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (22:53):
He didn't by a house that was
close to the river,unfortunately.
Julie South | Veterinary R (22:58):
Does he kayak at lunchtime?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (23:00):
Yes , well, not at lunchtime, but in
his days off.
He actually now goes kayakingdown the Whanganui River and
different places aroundWhanganui and actually I was out
delivering drinks this morningand he's actually at work but I
saw the kayakers all diving intothe river at the top of the
Mangamahu Valley, which theWhangāhu River flows down there,
and I know he's done that inhis time off.
So I did laugh to see them allpopping their kayaks in the
(23:24):
river and thought of Hein andhis sort of a popping their
kayaks in the river and thoughtof Hein and his sort of a.
Yeah, he does I mean he does.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (23:32):
His kayaking has been something
he's really got stuck into.
Really, Did the clinic supporthim in integration and getting
so?
They weren't, you know,outsiders?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (23:41):
Yes , when they came.
When Hein came to Whanganui, wesupported him and we rented a
house for him so he could movestraight in to a nice suburb in
Whanganui.
We supported him and we renteda house for him so he could move
straight in to a nice suburb inWhanganui.
After some time he took overthe rental and then in time he
bought his own house.
He saw the opportunity, putdown roots in Whanganui, bought
his own house.
(24:01):
When he first came out we spentsome time with him, showing him
the sites of Whanganui, Isuppose, and got him out, having
dinner and sort of introducinghim to as many people as
possible so he knew or couldquickly build up a network of
friends.
I think having young kids thatwere just about to go into
(24:22):
school was a great plus for him.
So they integrated into localschooling really well and met a
lot of people through the localschool.
I remember showing him around.
I just happened.
I like ABBA, you're giving yourage away.
Julie South | Veterinary R (24:39):
Yeah .
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (24:40):
And he hopped in my vehicle and I
didn't even realise it wasplaying.
He said to me in his Dutchaccent Tom, there is something
very comforting about workingfor a man who likes ABBA.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (24:50):
Are they Dutch?
Abba is not from.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (24:54):
No , no, they're from.
Julie South | Veterinary (24:56):
Sweden , sweden, yeah, that's right.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (24:59):
But I guess ABBA is known all over
the world and I guess for mostpeople a fairly outdated band
but I still enjoy listening toit.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (25:06):
You put ABBA on and everybody will
take to the dance floor.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wang (25:10):
That's right, that's right.
Julie South | Veteri (25:11):
Provincial New Zealand, of which I would
describe Whanganui.
You've got somebody coming inwho has an accent.
How was he welcomed?
Because it's really easy forprovincial New Zealand to be
quite closed and notparticularly welcoming of
(25:37):
foreigners.
How was that for?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wangan (25:42):
Hein arrived in Whanganui.
He integrated really easily.
We have a lot of people fromdifferent places.
We have doctors and dentists,many South Africans.
Whanganui is a funny placewhere the population is over
40,000 and yet you walk down thestreet and it's not uncommon to
(26:02):
run into someone you know.
So there's a real communityfeel here and I guess one of the
comments that many people makecoming to wanganui is how
friendly it is.
So I think integrating into thelocal community is it's
probably one of the easierplaces in new zealand to
actually come here as a foreignperson and feel you have a, have
(26:24):
a, there's a space here for youand there's somewhere where
people accept you and there'slots of different people to meet
.
I guess there's so many thingsin wanganui that I kind of
forget them all.
There's the waimari goes up theriver on a daily basis the
paddle steamer.
We have a market here onsaturday mornings.
That is one of the bettermarkets in in new zealand.
(26:48):
You can wander around there ona nice Saturday morning and
spend about two hours chattingto people.
There's coffee shops.
The other thing that isimportant for anyone moving here
is how cost-effective I supposeWhanganui is.
Our housing here has a lowermedian.
I suppose many other towns do.
(27:10):
It's not to say the houses areany worse.
It's just that Whanganui, byand large, sits here as a
provincial town that hasn't beenso greatly affected by the ups
and downs of the economy.
So we haven't soared, I guess,like New Zealand did.
But we certainly at the momentare going along very nicely,
(27:31):
probably not hurting as much assome of the bigger centres are.
Julie South | Veterinary R (27:34):
It's still very much affordable.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (27:37):
Oh , absolutely, yeah, yeah.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (27:39):
And you have some beautiful villas.
Your sections are largecompared to you know.
You haven't been intenselysubdivided.
The Kiwi quarter acre dream canstill happen in Whanganui.
You've got some beautifulvillas.
(28:00):
You've got some really modernarchitecture, of which Betzon
Carlton would be an example ofthat, even though the clinic's
been there for a while.
Your streets are nice and wide.
It's like New Zealand used tobe and still is.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wang (28:17):
That's right.
I think the last time I got aparking ticket, it cost me $13.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (28:21):
Wow , do you have parking wardens?
Well, I guess you must do right, we do.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (28:28):
We quaintly used to have parking
meters that only took coinsuntil quite recently, and now
we've progressed that we takecards as well as coins, and I
still see people putting coinsin the meters in Whanganui
because it's, I guess, a habitfrom a long way back, a long way
back.
Ridgeway Street often wins oris a finalist in the most
(28:49):
beautiful street for a smallcity in New Zealand.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (28:53):
Did you know that Whanganui sorry,
whanganui is New Zealand's onlyUNESCO city, unesco designed
city in New Zealand, of whichthere are only 49 worldwide in
this particular category?
Did you know that?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (29:12):
I kind of heard something along
those lines, but I didn't hearit If you had asked me.
The truth is no.
We were named as the mostconnected city in New Zealand
some years back based upon theearly adoption of Viber.
I guess how quickly Whanganuias a city got into connecting
people up Our rates lower thanmost cities around New Zealand.
(29:34):
We still complain about them.
But yeah, I went to Wellingtonthe other day and it was 11,000,
the lady told me for a biggersection, an older house In
Whanganui, it's about 4,000.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (29:45):
Oh , you're talking council rates.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wan (29:48):
Council rates, yeah, because you went
straight from being fibreconnected yeah, yeah, Well, it's
sort of a council that drivesthese things, and I suppose the
vision of the council justreminded me of it, and this year
we're having a 2.2% proposedincrease in rates and I see many
places 15% and 18% around NewZealand.
(30:09):
So I think we're very luckythat we have a council that is
very conscious of cost and we'veactually bent money wisely in
the past to make sure that someof the things that needed to be
done, like stormwater separation, were done in the early days
when the costs were lower, andwe haven't put it off until a
later date.
Julie South | Veterinary Re (30:30):
Why should somebody come work at
Vets on Carlton?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganui (30:33):
I think they're joining a really
great team of people.
We have a great team ofveterinary nurses and the
clients we have are, again, verydown-to-earth people.
The day-to-day interaction withpeople can be a really great
experience and over time peopledo come to know you and the
(30:57):
Whanganui kind of small-vibefeel is very much part of that,
where you go to the supermarketand they say hello to their
local veterinarian.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (31:09):
Is the cemetery cycle race Boxing
Day.
Does that still happen?
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wanganu (31:15):
Yes , we still have the Boxing Day
races.
That's a big thing on thecalendar, happens every year,
draws people from all over.
They also have the street dragraces here, which has become
bigger, which they do down onTaupo Key as well.
It's another motorsport event.
They just close off the streetdown on taupo key as well.
It's another motorsport event.
They just close off the streetdown on the key there and they
have drag races.
Doesn't always happen, butplumber dan, who is a local
(31:36):
plumber, has been instrumentalin bringing many charity-based
events to wanganui.
We have the duck race, wherethey release a thousand ducks
with a number on it, so it'sentered like a raffle and the
winning duck gets a prize.
But the end result is thatcharity usually Plunkett or
(31:56):
someone like that Cancer Societyreceives a sizable check from
the work that's done.
For that.
We have a raft race.
We also used to have a soapboxderby and I know they're not
doing it this year, but it willbe something that will return.
That also is a full-on day ofsoapbox racing down the hill
(32:19):
from the museum and it's anaction-packed day with some very
entertaining and novel entriesthat have been home-built.
Julie South | Veterinary Rec (32:27):
It sounds to me like a great
opportunity for lots of forms tobe filled out for the poor
event organisers with health andsafety.
Tom Dinwiddie | CEO Wan (32:38):
Exactly .
Julie South | Veterinary R (32:43):
It's easy to think that when the
boss says that everything'sgreat, they have to say that
because they're the boss.
If that's a thought that youmay be wondering, then hit
follow in your listening appwhere you can tune in again over
the upcoming weeks and listento where I catch up with Tom's
employees, employees.
(33:11):
These are the vets, the nursesand the support staff, who all
talk about what it's like towork at Whanganui Vets and Vets
on Carlton.
As you'll hear if you tune in,they all agree that these two
clinics are absolutely greatplaces to work and deserve their
vet clinic jobs.
Employer of choice confirmationthat the people really do come
(33:31):
first.
Thanks for listening.
Remember to check outvetclinicjobscom.
Slash vets on Carlton.
And that's with hyphens betweenthe vets on Carlton Vets hyphen
on hyphen Carlton.
This is Julie South signing outand thanking you for listening
(33:53):
to the end.
Remember to check outvetclinicjobscom.
It is the job board.
It's the job board.
It's all about direct hiring.
Reimagined no agency.
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