ABOUT US

 

Setting Standards. Ensuring Quality. Building Trust.

The Allied Veterinary Professional Regulatory Council (AVPRC) provides voluntary regulation for eligible veterinary nurses, veterinary technicians, veterinary technologists and allied animal healthcare practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

We are a volunteer-led independent charitable trust supporting animal welfare and the public interest through professional registration, standards of practice and accountability..

Our work

We fulfil our purpose by:

  • Maintaining a voluntary register of practitioners who meet our registration requirements.

  • Establishing and maintaining registration and practising standards.

  • Setting expectations for professional conduct and continuing professional development.

  • Establishing, reviewing and advising on educational and professional standards.

  • Consulting with practitioners, educators, professional bodies and other interested groups on regulatory matters.

  • Contributing to the development of statutory recognition and effective professional regulation.

Read more about regulation and AVPRC’s role.

Ō mātau uara – Our values

WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE

Working responsibly, efficiently, effectively, professionally, and with integrity. 

WE ARE CARING

Valuing our diverse roles, caring for the animals, the people, the environment, and the public we serve. 

WE ARE RESPONSIVE

Listening to our cultures, our industry and our profession, being reliable, flexible and equitable.

WE ARE COLLABORATIVE

Working with compassion, respecting each other, fostering equity and inclusiveness.   

WE ARE COURAGEOUS

Leading bravely, fairly, and transparently. Willing to reflect and open to learning how we can improve.  

The way we operate

AVPRC operates independently as a registered charitable trust. Our work is led by volunteers and guided by our charitable purpose, governance arrangements and professional standards.

We collaborate with NZVNA, the Veterinary Council of New Zealand, educators and other organisations while maintaining our distinct regulatory role.

Our governance policies set expectations for Council conduct, confidentiality, the management of conflicts of interest and the protection of personal information.

Our charitable status and our professional regulatory role are different matters. Registration as a charity does not confer statutory powers to regulate a profession.

Further information is available in our governance documents

  • We are a volunteer-led registered Charitable Trust. We operate as a voluntary regulatory body, under governance processes that align with the Veterinary Council of New Zealand. Our Terms of Reference can be seen here.

  • For the Council to command the confidence of all interested parties, it is necessary for the Council members to observe appropriate standards of conduct. The Council Member’s Code of Conduct can be seen here.

  • Anyone appointed or elected to the AVPRC Council or subsidiary committees, or attending meetings of said bodies, when privileged information may be discussed, must agree to keep such information confidential, and agree to non-disclosure of information. View the confidentiality and non-disclosure policy here.

  • Anyone appointed or elected to the AVPRC Council or subsidiary committees, or attending meetings of said bodies, when privileged information may be discussed, must declare all conflicts of interest that could potentially affect their ability to be, or to be perceived as being, neutral or impartial. There are a few steps we take to make sure conflicts of interest don’t affect the decision making. View the Conflict of Interest Policy here.

  • See our page, here, dedicated to our privacy policy.

Our history

AVPRC’s origins lie in a regulation working committee established by the NZVNA Executive Committee in 2014 to develop professional regulation for veterinary nurses.

In 2015, the committee adopted the name Allied Veterinary Professional Regulatory Council, reflecting the inclusion of veterinary nursing, technology and allied animal healthcare professions. The voluntary register launched in August that year.

In 2023, AVPRC became an independent charitable trust, establishing a separate organisational basis for its regulatory work.

We continue to develop the voluntary framework and contribute to work towards statutory recognition. Future arrangements should be assessed on how effectively they protect animals and the public, recognise the professions concerned and support accountable practice.