AVU Contract Recommendations

Probation and performance

• The AVU opposes the use of probationary periods.

• New Zealand veterinarians graduate meeting first-day competencies. They are bound by the Vet Council Code of Professional Conduct and Employment Relations Authority regulations from the first day of employment. Further probationary measures are excessive.

• On-the-job mentoring, particularly for new graduates, is mandatory for professional development. Probationary periods can be used by employers to avoid on-the-job mentoring, or place undue pressure on new veterinarians.

• Instead, we support the use of ongoing mentoring periods in place of probationary periods.

• The AVU recommends that timely (monthly) reports on turnover and other KPIs, along with relevant targets, be provided as feedback about performance.

Notice  Periods

• The AVU opposes punitive notice periods 

• AVU's recommended position is that notice periods should not exceed one pay cycle. The Employment Relations Authority states that 2-4 weeks is fair in most cases. However, the veterinary industry in New Zealand commonly sees notice periods of 8-12 weeks being used. The AVU recognises this as a punitive measure, making fulfilling the notice period distressing for the veterinarians leaving.

Exclusion Clauses/Restraint of Trade  

• The AVU opposes punitive work exclusions imposed on resigning veterinarians.

• Employers sufficiently protect their data through Confidentiality Agreements. Further Restraint of Trade measures through punitive work exclusion periods or areas infringe on a veterinarian’s right to choose where they work and live, as some punitive exclusion of areas will require a veterinarian to relocate if they want to resign.

• Long exclusion periods or exclusion areas should be matched with equivalent severance packages, i.e. any exclusion should be effectively garden leave. 

 Pay transparency 

• The AVU opposes the use of clauses that forbid sharing details of your contract, including wages and benefits. It is illegal for employers to take adverse action against employees who discuss their own or colleagues' pay.

• Disallowing staff from discussing their pay leads to discriminatory pay and benefit gaps. 

 Pay

• The AVU recommends being paid an hourly wage instead of a salary, as this more accurately captures work done and acknowledges overtime. 

Working on Commission 

• The AVU opposes the use of commissions due to the predatory practices between colleagues that they can inadvertently encourage, such as case poaching, and the recommending of inappropriate and unnecessary tests and treatments  

KiwiSaver 

• The AVU opposes KiwiSaver-inclusive ("total remuneration") contracts. 

• Employer contributions to KiwiSaver should not be considered part of the employee's pay or benefits package. 

• A clause should specify that employer contributions to KiwiSaver are on top of the stated pay package. 

​

 Leave 

• The legal minimum under the Holidays Act 2003 is 4 weeks' paid annual leave. (Or 4 weeks' paid annual leave for full-time work under the Employment Leave Act 2026, which will come into effect in 2028.) 

• The AVU considers 4 weeks a minimum, and recommends the 6 weeks of annual leave that our human medical doctor colleagues are entitled to. 

• Sick leave should be made available from the start of employment on a pro-rata basis.

• The AVU advocates for expanding paid parental leave to 26 weeks and beyond, universal access for non-standard workers, dedicated paid partner/spouse leave, and indexed payment adjustments that reflect cost-of-living pressures rather than cuts to family support.

​

CPD

• The AVU recommends a minimum of 10 days of CPD leave per full-time year, calculated pro rata.

• Time off in lieu (TOIL) should be provided if CPD days fall on a weekend, public holiday or a rostered day off.

• TOIL should also be provided for travel days required to attend CPD

• Travel days shall not be subtracted from CPD allowances

• Unused CPD allowances should accumulate.

• The AVU recommends that neither NZVA nor AVU membership should be deducted from CPD allowance. 

• The AVU recommends that CPD allowance should increase annually in line with inflation. 

 Contract Structure 

• The use of a single separate schedule is recommended, i.e. the aspects of a contract that individualise it can be separated for easy perusal. 

• A contract should be separate from the Job Description.

• All supplementary documents signed alongside a contract should be photocopied or scanned and provided to all parties signing.

Workplace Health and Safety

• The AVU advocates for OHS regulations being listed specifically for the type of veterinary work being done. The Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) and WorkSafe New Zealand regulations make up the bare minimum general requirements.

The following list examples of specific regulations:

​

For academic and industry veterinarians, the AVU advocates for the following:

• Access to ergonomic chairs, keyboards, and computers. 

For companion animal veterinarians:

• Protocols for lifting all animals above 5kg

• Mats for standing prolonged periods on and for kneeling on during consults

• Muzzles of all sizes to be available and in working order for every shift.

• Cat crushes and gloves to be available and in working order for every shift.

For production animal veterinarians:

• A vet-race or platform must be provided for safe dairy work, i.e. stilts and trolleys are not to be used.

• No production animal or horse is to be treated by a veterinarian alone under any circumstances, without a farm or clinic staff member present to monitor the animal's behaviour and provide support in case of emergencies.

• Smoking and vaping are not permitted while driving, while on farm, or while in clinic, outside of designated smoking/vaping areas.

Mandatory Breaks

• Any unused breaks while on farm, in clinic or in any place of work are to be awarded as TOIL or paid as overtime in cases where breaks are unable to be planned due to unforeseen circumstances. Breaks must be provided in all other cases.

• Travel time to and from a farm or any other property for work is not to be deducted from mandatory break allowances.

• If travel time exceeds the regular hours of work, then it is to be paid as overtime.

After hours work

• All after-hours work should be paid in terms of an on-duty retainer, plus payment per call-out work undertaken.

• Any after-hours work included in a salary should clearly state the maximum hours of work that is covered and the portion of the salary allocated towards this, with all excess work done to be paid as overtime.

Limits on hours of work

• These ensure that a high quality of work can be provided safely and are modelled after the human medical standards.

• Including after-hours, no veterinarian shall be rostered on duty for more than 72 hours in any consecutive 7 days.

• If on-call for after-hours work during a rostered day, a stand-down period of 8 hours should apply.

• No veterinarian should be required to work more than 16 consecutive hours in any period of duty, including after-hours duties.

Use of Personal Vehicles

No employee should be required to use their personal vehicle to carry out any work, including home-euthanasia, moving clinic stock, moving patients, or the remains of any animal on behalf of the clinic. Where personal vehicle use is negotiated, appropriate mileage and insurance should be covered by the employer. 

Employee Assistance Programmes 

• The AVU recommends the provision of an EAP in every workplace.

• The AVU opposes the use of AI being used in place of professionals providing counselling support services.