Tisch Lindsay: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Tisch Lindsay: Veterinarians Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:883] 
LINDSAY TISCH (National—Piako) 
: 
 The Veterinarians Bill is very important legislation and it ties in with other professions that we looked at in the last Parliament such as architects and engineers. The bill safeguards the public through a way of registration which we believe is important. The bill repeals the Veterinarians Act 1994 and as I have mentioned the key provisions in the commentary relate to qualification requirements. It is always good to set a benchmark so whoever is dealing with a profession knows specifically what the qualification background and experience is of someone who holds that qualification and that he or she is registered. 
So that is the safeguard that the public would expect of somebody in the veterinarian profession. It also gives disciplinary powers to the Veterinary Council of New Zealand so there has to be a body that will oversee how its members should behave. We also see that the definition of veterinarian has been amended so that a veterinarian must be a registered person who holds a current practising certificate. That applies to a number of professions. In my earlier days I was a registered valuer and I required a registered valuing certificate that would be renewed annually. Otherwise I was not able to call myself a registered valuer; I could call myself a valuer but I could not call myself a registered valuer. 
So that is the safeguard that is important for members of a society as a whole who want to deal with the profession and who want to know that whomever they deal with meets certain minimum and mandatory qualifications and experience requirements. The same would apply to a chartered accountant as opposed to an accountant. So we have chartered accountants. We also see that in areas where there has been some concern like in the motor vehicle industry. It is so easy to deal with a motor vehicle dealer and to be able to buy a vehicle but there are no safeguards. There are no safeguards when one buys a vehicle but dealing with a licensed motor vehicle dealer gives the protection that one would expect. This Veterinarians Bill refers to qualification requirements and brings into place an annual registration format so that those who deal with vets are protected. 
There is also an amendment regarding the purpose of complaints disciplinary hearings and medical and competence assessments. The committee recommended that “a specified person includes both a veterinarian as defined in clause 4 and any person whose conduct has led to a complaint for an event when the person was registered …”. So the council has the ability to take disciplinary action against a person if his or her practising certificate has lapsed but the person continues to practice. Once again I come back to that very important point about giving protection and meeting those minimum standards that are so crucial to give credence to the industry. 
In the area that I represent Piako vets are a very important part of our community. This profession is having great difficulty in attracting the number of vets required. We have a number of farmers in the House. Eric Roy David Bennett and David Carter who are in the Chamber at the moment are farmers in their own right who understand the importance of having access to a veterinarian. The profession is having trouble attracting veterinarians. There was a big recruitment drive in the Matamata area where I live and we now have a number of vets from overseas especially South Africa. We also have a vet from the United States. 
The equine industry is another very important area where the demand for specialist vets has become very very important. As I said in the first reading debate back in February this year in Matamata a hospital has been established specifically for horses. There is a demand for specialised services that those engaged in the equine industry are able to use in their profession in order to add value to the racing industry in particular. So practising vets who are out in the regions—in rural and heartland New Zealand—are very important. 
I also identify the issue of inspections and freezing works. It is veterinarians who sign off on carcasses that are ready for export. Without having those qualified people to meet those very high standards and protect the very important export earnings that we get from the rural sector we would be missing out. The Hon David Carter mentioned in his address just a moment ago the importance of the primary industry in New Zealand and how it is still New Zealand’s No. 1 export earner. If we look at vets in that light we see how important they are to our food processing industries. This bill maintains and protects an asset and will make sure that our reputation in the marketplace will not be disadvantaged because we do not have specialist vets. 
We also see a huge demand now for those in small-animal practice. I was with some people at the weekend whose daughter is off to Massey specifically to study veterinary science. It is a very very difficult course to get into. However she is committed. I asked her what area of practice she would be interested in moving into once she graduates. The response did not surprise me when I thought it through at the end of the day. She is particularly interested in dealing with small animals such as cats and dogs. There is a huge and growing demand for those vets but people who specialise in those areas are not necessarily coming back to rural areas because there is such a demand for them in urban areas. We see then that the profession has been under pressure to attract and hold vets and to meet the standards that are so important to very important industries. It is a very very important profession. Those in the veterinary field have told me on numerous occasions how difficult it is. 
Our graduates who come out of the vet school have a proud reputation. Members may recall that many years ago we did not have a vet school; if one wanted to be a vet one had to go over to Werribee just outside Melbourne to study. Our proud reputation is well recognised around the world and vets can attract very good positions wherever they go. 
National is supporting this legislation. We did so in the first reading and at the select committee and do so now. Other issues have come up. My colleague Phil Heatley articulated very well some of the major issues that came out of the Primary Production Committee but I will just highlight in my last remaining minutes an area that he did not mention the rights of appeal. There was a suggestion by submitters that there should be a change to clause 56 “Right of appeal”. The select committee decided that that was not necessary because veterinarians have that right anyway. They can appeal to a District Court. That is the safeguard to ensure that veterinarians have a relatively inexpensive means of appealing a council’s decision. That is fair; that is about equity; that is about one’s day in court. Vets actually have that protection and the select committee was happy to support that without having to change the bill. 
Another issue relates to complainants being able to challenge the complaints assessment committee process by judicial review in the High Court or to pursue the veterinarian concerned using the law of contract or tort. Those are the protections. 
National is very happy to support this legislation. It is important for New Zealand as an exporting country and for those of us who represent rural constituencies that the veterinary practice is held in very high esteem. Veterinarians are a credit; they make a huge contribution and we want to give them all the support we can. 
Bill read a second time.