Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Veterinary services for companion animals and production animals

Vetora Waikato, Vetora Bay of Plenty & Taupo Vet Centre — serving rural and companion animal communities across the Waikato

1.  About these Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) set out the basis on which Vetora Waikato, Vetora Bay of Plenty & Taupo Vet Centre (“Vetora”, “we”, “us” or “our”), henceforth referred to as Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC provides veterinary services to you and your animals. They apply to every Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC clinic and to all services we provide — in the clinic, on-farm, and after hours.

Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC is a farmer-owned veterinary practice providing animal health services to companion animal (pet) and production animal (farm) clients across the Waikato and Taupo. By engaging our services you agree to these Terms. Please read them carefully and ask any Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC team member if anything is unclear.

These Terms are designed to be consistent with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ) Code of Professional Conduct, which is a prescribed minimum standard for veterinarians under the Veterinarians Act 2005. They do not limit any rights you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, the Fair Trading Act 1986, the Privacy Act 2020, or the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

2.  What is a veterinary practice

A veterinary practice is a business through which registered veterinarians provide veterinary services to the public. In New Zealand, only a person who is registered with VCNZ and holds a current practicing certificate may practice as a veterinarian. Veterinarians work not only for individual animals and clients but also in the wider public interest - including animal welfare, food safety, public health and biosecurity.

Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC is a veterinary practice in clinical practice. This means our veterinarians accept clients and their animals into their care and take on the professional obligations that go with that -including the duty to make emergency cover available (see section 6) and to act at all times in accordance with the VCNZ Code of Professional Conduct.

3.  What we do — our services

Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC is a mixed-practice veterinary business. We service both:

•     Companion animals — dogs, cats and other family pets; and

•     Production animals — dairy, beef, sheep and other farmed livestock for our rural community.

Our services include routine and preventative health care, consultations, vaccinations, diagnostics (including in-house laboratory, x-ray and ultrasound), surgery, dentistry, on-farm herd health and production animal services, and emergency care. Individual clinics may offer additional or specialist services.

3.1  Species we treat

So that you know what to expect, the species we routinely treat, and the way we treat them, are set out below. Please confirm the species scope for each clinic:

4.  Who is a “client”

A client is a person (or business) for whom Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC has agreed to provide veterinary services, and whose animals are accepted into the care of a Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC veterinarian. You become a client when you register with us, request or receive veterinary services from us, or otherwise engage us to care for your animal(s).

Once you become a client of Vetora Waikato/Vetora BOP/TVC, you remain our client - and your animals remain under our care - until we tell you otherwise or until you specifically notify us. We may notify you that the veterinarian – client relationship has ended or will not continue; until we give you that notice, you should treat yourself as a current client for the purposes of these Terms (including our after-hours and emergency arrangements).

4.1  Declining or ending service

We aim to provide care to everyone in our community. However, we may decline to begin, or may end, a veterinarian–client relationship - for example where accounts are overdue, where our team’s health and safety is at risk, where trust or communication has broken down, or where we are not the appropriate practice for the animal or service required.

Where we end a relationship, we will:

•  tell you clearly, and confirm from what date we will no longer provide routine services;

•  continue to meet our professional obligations for any animal genuinely in our care at that time, including relieving unreasonable or           unnecessary pain or distress; and

•  where practical, give you time to arrange another veterinarian and, on request, transfer your animal’s clinical records.

5.  Your agreement to these Terms

These Terms are published on our website and are available at every Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC clinic. We ask every client to agree to them. You agree to these Terms in any of the following ways:

1.   Signing: by signing these Terms (in clinic, on-farm, or electronically); or

2.   Confirming by email: where we email you before an appointment, attending or proceeding with that appointment confirms your agreement. For example: “By attending your appointment you agree to Vetora Waikato/Vetora BOP/TVC’s Terms of Service.”; or

3.   Using our services: by booking, attending, or requesting and receiving veterinary services from Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC (including after-hours or emergency services), you accept these Terms on behalf of yourself and any animal you present.

If someone brings in an animal on your behalf, or presents an animal they own, or are responsible for, they confirm they are authorised to accept these Terms for that animal and to make decisions about its care.

6.  Hours of service, after hours and emergencies

Under the VCNZ Code of Professional Conduct, veterinarians in clinical practice must make an emergency service available at all times so that their clients’ animals can receive essential treatment to relieve unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress. Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC meets this obligation through the arrangements below. If your animal has an emergency, phone first — do not just turn up - so the right vet and equipment can be ready for you.

6.1  Normal clinic hours

Standard clinic hours are generally Monday to Friday, 8.00am – 5.00pm, with Saturday morning clinics at some locations. Hours vary by clinic - please check your clinic’s page on our website.

“After hours” means any time the clinic is closed - including evenings, overnight, weekends (including Sunday and outside Saturday morning clinic hours) and public holidays.

6.2  Production animals — 24/7 cover

For our production animal (farm) clients, Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on-farm emergency veterinary care, all year round. To reach the on-call large animal vet after hours, phone your usual clinic number and follow the prompts.

6.3  Companion animals — after-hours cover

For companion animals (pets), after-hours and emergency care is provided through our dedicated after-hours services:

If you are unsure which service to use, phone your usual Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC clinic number - our message will direct you to the correct after-hours provider.

6.4  How to access after-hours care

1.   Phone first - call your clinic’s number or the relevant after-hours number above before travelling.

2.   Describe the problem - our team will triage the situation, give first-aid advice, and tell you whether, when and where to bring your animal (or whether a vet will come to your farm).

3.   Follow the instructions given - including where to go, as the after-hours location may differ from your usual clinic.

6.5  What to expect - response times

Our emergency services are resourced so that, except in extraordinary circumstances, emergencies are attended in a reasonable time. As a guide, we aim to see or begin attending an animal presented after hours within 60 to 120 minutes of your call being triaged, consistent with VCNZ’s expectation of a reasonable response time. Genuine life-threatening emergencies are prioritised, so waiting times for less urgent cases may be longer.

Primary responsibility for an animal’s health and welfare rests with its owner or person in charge. We encourage you to have a plan for after-hours emergencies - know your clinic and after-hours numbers, and keep them handy. Our veterinarians will always act to relieve unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress, which in some cases may include first aid, pain relief or humane euthanasia, and will consider the health and safety of our people when responding.

7.  Consent, estimates and animal welfare

•     Consent: by presenting your animal you consent to examination and to reasonable and necessary treatment. For procedures requiring anaesthesia, sedation or surgery, we will seek your specific consent.

•     Estimates: we will provide an estimate of likely costs on request and, wherever practical, before significant treatment. Estimates are a guide; actual costs may vary as an animal’s condition becomes clearer. We will seek your agreement before materially exceeding an estimate where circumstances allow.

•     Animal welfare: we act in the best interests of animal welfare at all times and in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and the VCNZ Code. We may take necessary steps to relieve suffering in an emergency.

•     Your responsibilities: please give accurate information about your animal and its history, follow treatment and medication instructions, and handle and restrain your animal safely, or allow our team to do so.

8.  Fees, payment and accounts

•     Payment is due at the time of service unless you hold an approved Vetora Waikato/ Vetora BOP/TVC account.

•     After-hours and emergency services may attract an additional fee, which we will tell you about wherever practical.

•     Approved farm/business accounts are payable by the 20th of the month following invoice. Overdue accounts may incur interest, and may affect continued service (see section 4).

•     All fees are in New Zealand dollars and include GST.

9.  Medicines, records and privacy

•     Veterinary medicines: prescription animal remedies and restricted veterinary medicines are supplied under our veterinarians’ professional judgement and only for animals under our care. Use all medicines strictly as directed.

•     Clinical records: clinical records and diagnostic images are Vetora Waikato/Vetora BOP/TVC’s property. You may request a copy of your animal’s clinical history, and we will transfer relevant records to another veterinarian at your request.

•     Privacy: we collect and hold your personal information to provide veterinary services, manage your account and communicate with you, and we handle it in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

•     Confidentiality: we keep client information confidential except where disclosure is required or permitted by law (for example, notifiable or biosecurity matters).

10.  Complaints, changes and contact

We want to hear from you if something is not right. Please raise any concern with your clinic in the first instance so we can put it right.

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services or in professional and legal requirements. The current version is always available on our website and at our clinics and applies from its effective date.

Contact:

Vetora Te Awamutu,565 Mahoe Street, Te Awamutu 3840 - 07 872 0004

Vetora Hamilton, Collins Road, Glenview, Hamilton – 07 843 8822

Vetora Cambridge, Shakespeare St, Lemington, Cambridge – 07 823 0037

Vetora Otorohanga, Wahanui Cres, Otorohanga – 07 873 7089

Vetora Putaruru, Kensington St, Putaruru – 07 883 7392

Vetora Tokoroa, Campbell St, Tokoroa – 07 886 6119

Vetora Whakamaru, Tihoi Rd, Whakamaru – 07 882 8094

Taupo Vet Centre, Spa Road, Taupo – 07 378 5433

Vetora Rotorua,37 Marguerita Street, Fenton Park, Rotorua – 07

Vetora Galatea, 5038 Galatea Road, Galatea – 07 366 4867

Vetora Reporoa, Cnr Settlers & Birch Road, Reporoa – 07 333 8038

Vetora Taupo, 70 Totara Street, Taupo – 07 376 5106