What if your next vet role gave you space to breathe, time to live, and work that genuinely reminded you why you became a veterinarian in the first place?
This role isn’t about filling a rota. It’s a role that gives you clinical variety, real autonomy, and a lifestyle shaped by rivers, mountains, coastline, and community.
Canterbury vets are a proudly independent, mixed animal practice in Ashburton, and they are looking for a veterinarian who wants more than just a new job and a pay slip. Someone who wants a future they can actually grow into, with the potential for buy-in and long-term partnership.
Whether you’re a confident new graduate ready to learn fast, or an experienced vet ready for your next chapter, this role adapts to you.
The role at a glance:
* Salary: $85,000 – $150,000 (DOE)
* Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm
* On-call: 1 weeknight per week + 1 Sat (9am – 1pm) in 4
* Start: ASAP (current vet returning to the UK end of May)
* Practice: True mixed animal, large & small
* Culture: Young, supportive, high-energy team
* CPD: Courses plus approved CPD Fees and travel paid
* Perks: Vets’ fees paid, staff products at cost price
* Future: Genuine opportunity for buy-in/ownership
This is a proper mixed practice, not “mostly small animal with the odd farm call.” You’ll work with both large and small animals, develop broad clinical confidence, and be trusted to work independently while still being fully supported by a collaborative team.
Locums consistently say the same thing: great culture, great energy, great people.
Lifestyle, location, living:
Ashburton is a well-serviced, friendly town in the heart of the South Island, with cafés, community life, and space to relax. You’re surrounded by rivers for fishing, countryside for exploring, mountains for hiking, 4WDing, and beaches within easy reach. When you want city life, Christchurch is just one hour north.
Escape to the life you deserve, trading the relentless hustle for wide-open spaces and a community that puts people first.
So, what’s next?
If you’re ready to trade pressure for space and burnout for balance, this is the role that builds a future not just a job. Join a real clinic with real people and real opportunity, offering a life you’ll never stop talking about and a genuine path to ownership for the right vet.
Send your CV, don’t worry if it’s not up to date. We can’t get the whole story in a job ad, so ask any questions. I’ll answer honestly, no hard sell.
Reawaken your passion, rediscover your purpose, and join a supportive team here at Canterbury Vets
Salary description
£38000.00 - £66000.00 per year