Woolerton R Doug: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Woolerton R Doug: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:880] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 Needless to say New Zealand First will support this legislation. I want to commend the chairman of the Primary Production Committee who did a great job. I am sorry that I am no longer on that select committee; my leader saw fit to put me on the Finance and Expenditure Committee. I am sure it was not for punishment reasons—I could not imagine why he would want to punish me—but for any sins he may have seen me commit he has put me on that committee and one does the best one can. 
As Mr Heatley was talking about I think it is absolutely sensible that this bill tops up the number of vets and that we make up for the loss of those going overseas by bringing people in. Their degrees may be different but this bill allows them to have a year to align themselves with our degree and we think that that is absolutely sensible. 
I do not know whether people realise in what a high status vets are held in rural areas and the farming world; they are looked on much as the family doctor in a way. Having been a farmer I understand that. Farmers are often accused of being heartless—I have never seen myself that way to be honest—but I have always looked on vets as the ones who will save a couple of thousand bucks by fixing up a cow or whatever. They have a great status and their expertise and education is respected in the community. 
A lot of people do not understand that often veterinarians particularly those on the edges of a rural and an urban community in fact operate two practices. One is a large animal practice and one is a small animal practice: urban dogs cats and that sort of thing. Needless to say farmers being what they are the large animal practice is the one that creates the most work and certainly creates the most sweat but it is the small animal practice that is the most profitable yet creates the most stress. 
That was amply demonstrated in the submission process when we heard a submission regarding one Bianca Parker-Green. I would hate people to get the wrong idea that I do not read my select committee papers diligently word for word—I would have to write a letter to the chairman and admit to that—but on this occasion I have to say that I did not. When two ladies came in and described the treatment that Bianca Parker-Green had been subjected to by veterinarians I must say that I was alarmed and concerned. That was because I thought they were talking about a family member—which indeed they were because to those two ladies Bianca Parker-Green was a family member. In fact as I later found out Bianca Parker-Green was a pet cockatoo. It was a revelation to me—on coming from a rural environment—that those people were so concerned. If the two ladies in question are listening I do not want them to be offended in any way. I do not want them to think that we were taking matters lightly because we were not. But it really was a revelation to me because they were talking about their cockatoo in the way that many of us would talk about a family member—because to them she was. 
I did not realise that fully until our own dearly beloved Labrador had to be put down by the vet who used to treat the animals on our farm. I rang him and said: “Murray our dog has reached the end of its days. I am not going to bring this dog to you because I am a tender little soul and I just cannot do that.” I could not take the dog for its last trip in the car so Murray came to our house gave the dog a lethal injection and that was that. 
 It was not until that point that I realised what the situation was with Bianca and that we in the select committee saw another side of the veterinary profession. We had to go through that submission with the two ladies concerned in a very very careful manner because they were very concerned that the Veterinary Council and what was the disciplinary tribunal had not done their job properly and we were also concerned. The fact that I had not fully read every word in my papers and the fact that I thought the cockatoo was a human family member somewhat confused the situation. Indeed I wondered what part of New Zealand they were coming from in getting a vet to attend to a female family member. But when I found out it was a cockatoo it all fell into place. I must say that the chairman handled the job with decorum and taste and with the dignity required of him. He kept us all in order and on line. But I want to thank those two ladies who came to the select committee with their problem and with their story of Bianca. In fact they changed my view of veterinary practice from one with a degree of heartlessness—my being a dairy farmer—and instilled in me a much higher level of empathy. For that I am eternally grateful.