PROFILE
ASTONISHED but proud Queen’s Birthday Honours recipient Vince Peterson talks to Matt Philp about a veterinary career that began in the 1960s, and of the important work being done for veterinarians facing potentially career-ending legal action. A MONTH AFTER Vince Peterson took on his first job, the two other veterinarians servicing the West Coast of the South Island left for greener pastures. With the ink on his degree barely dry, the then 23-year-old was suddenly responsible for a 500-kilometre beat, from Paringa in the south to Seddonville north of Westport. It was 1964, the roads were mostly unsealed, and for the next three years his only reinforcement was an occasional locum during the spring months. “During the first spring I drove 11,800 miles [roughly 19,000 kilometres] in two months, and had a week off with the measles,” says Vince, whose learning curve during that first of his 13 years on the West Coast was as steep as the Denniston Incline. “You either learned quickly, or you gave up.” Clearly, he didn’t quit. In June this year, Vince was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the veterinary profession, recognising a career that included 38
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years of clinical practice and an 18year stint as chair of the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society (VPIS). His response? “I was astonished,” says the 79-year-old, who lives in Timaru with his wife, Robin. “My first reaction was ‘Why me?’” Vince supposes that the honour relates to his work with VPIS, a nonprofit body that provides professional indemnity insurance to 80% of New Zealand’s veterinary practices. Vince was chair from 1998 to 2016, a period when VPIS came of age, and he remains a board member. On his watch the organisation deepened its expertise, with veterinarians from diverse fields bringing their knowledge and experience to the board. “Whenever a claim comes in, somebody who knows that specialty area handles it. That’s a powerful tool to have in your locker box.” It’s becoming increasingly in demand, too, as society grows more litigious. “There’s a greater emphasis
