Energy Vets - Taranaki - New Zealand | REAL+STORY
A recent graduate’s view of support, mentoring, and staying in the profession

When new graduates talk about support, they’re not talking about slogans. They’re talking about what happens in the moments that matter.

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series with Jade, a recent graduate mixed animal veterinarian who has been working at Energy Vets in Taranaki for just over two years.

Jade shares why she chose to return to Taranaki after graduating from Massey University, what stood out about Energy Vets as a student on placement, and how support actually shows up day to day — from surgeries and after-hours, to asking questions, building confidence, and knowing someone has your back.

This is an honest conversation about mixed practice, mentoring, after-hours realities, team culture, and what helps early-career vets not just cope — but enjoy the job and want to stay in the profession.

Here’s how Jade describes that support in her own words:

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction and where this episode fits in the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series
01:02 – Jade’s background and returning to Taranaki after graduating
02:42 – What “supportive” really means for a new graduate
04:01 – How Energy Vets felt different from other student placements
05:01 – Mixed animal caseloads and how the year ebbs and flows
05:59 – Longer consult times and why they matter on busy days
06:17 – Dairy, lifestyle, and equine work in practice
07:09 – After-hours equine support and not being left alone
07:58 – Building strong relationships with clients
08:31 – Privately owned farms and what that changes
08:52 – Living in Taranaki: outdoors, community, and lifestyle
11:16 – Favourite equipment and learning to use ultrasound
11:54 – A concrete example of support during early surgeries
13:13 – Unexpected friendships and team closeness
14:14 – After-hours as a new grad and how readiness is handled
16:48 – A memorable early case and calling for help
18:00 – Who fits best at Energy Vets and what being a team player means
19:01 – Closing reflections on mentoring, support, and staying in the profession

If you’re an experienced small animal veterinarian thinking about your next step — particularly if you enjoy mentoring and supporting early-career vets — Energy Vets is currently looking for someone ready to step up into that role.

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through culture storytelling, Julie helps clinics attract vets and nurses who recognise their kind of people and their kind of clinic before a vacancy appears.

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

When Big Numbers Don’t Matter

When a clinic needs to advertise, the decision often feels obvious.
Choose the platform with the biggest database. The most traffic. The largest audience.

But what if those numbers aren’t measuring what actually matters?

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores why big numbers can feel reassuring — yet still leave clinics stuck advertising for months. Database size, website hits, and subscriber counts might look impressive on paper, but they don’t guarantee recognition, fit, or applications from the right vet or nurse.

Julie unpacks why recruitment fails when clinics outsource discovery to platforms and algorithms — and what changes when clinics shift from being listed to being recognised.

This episode closes the recent run of conversations on culture storytelling, network expansion, and recruitment momentum by asking one uncomfortable but essential question: are you attracting the kind of vet or nurse you actually want on your team?

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction: why the numbers everyone chases may not be the right ones

01:13 – A familiar scenario: needing to advertise and choosing platforms by database size

01:56 – Posting the ad, waiting, upgrading, and still not getting the right response

02:56 – Why big databases and high traffic don’t guarantee the right applicants

03:29 – What Google actually measures: behaviour, not hits

04:53 – The one number clinics really need: one right vet or nurse

05:44 – How recognition forms before a vacancy appears

06:54 – Why recognition can’t be measured in traditional metrics

07:45 – Culture Story Centres and arriving warm instead of cold

08:56 – Being recognised versus hoping to be discovered

09:46 – The question clinics should be asking instead of “which platform is bigger?”

10:56 – From being listed to being recognised — and why attraction changes everything

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising by showing what working there is really like. Through culture storytelling, Julie helps clinics become recognised over time — so when they do advertise, the right vets and nurses already know they belong.

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

Energy Vets | Culture Stories in Action (Part 2)

Staying in a clinic long-term isn’t just about the work you do.
It’s about how you’re supported, how leadership shows up, and what happens when things don’t go to plan.

In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Greg Hall, Managing Director at Energy Vets in Taranaki, shifting the focus from day-to-day life to what it takes to build a team that lasts.

They talk openly about leadership, succession planning, ageing vet teams, and the moments that reveal what a clinic’s culture really looks like — including how people step in for each other when it really counts.

This is Part Two of a two-part conversation with Energy Vets, and a grounded look at what working there is like beyond the first impression.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction
01:20 – What leadership actually looks like in practice
03:10 – Succession planning and an ageing workforce
06:00 – Supporting teams when things go wrong
09:10 – How people show up for each other
12:30 – Profit, efficiency, and staying viable
15:10 – Shareholding and long-term pathways
18:30 – What success looks like after 12 months
20:45 – Closing

If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets at:
vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture visible and recognisable, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

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