Understanding IndieVets and Local Veterinary Care
Caring for Pets and Communities: The IndieVets Difference
We often get asked: What is IndieVets? Why do we proudly display their name in our clinic? Are they the owners here? We're happy to clarify so you can feel confident about where your pet receives care—and who’s supporting your local community.
What Makes IndieVets Special?
IndieVets is a friendly collective of independently owned and family-run veterinary clinics. Each one values heartfelt care for animals and a strong connection to their neighbourhoods.
· Each IndieVet clinic is locally owned and operated right in your community.
· They always maintain high clinical standards.
· They invest in their practice and in the well-being of their staff.
It’s important to know IndieVets isn’t an ownership group—it’s a support group, here to help local clinics thrive in an industry that’s becoming more corporate every year. Many New Zealand clinics have been bought by large Australian, US, or European companies—often without letting clients know. Once a clinic becomes part of a corporate chain, it rarely returns to community ownership, and sometimes may even close its doors.
Steve Merchant, IndieVets’ founder, shares:
“The main goal of IndieVets is to help level the playing field for locally-owned vets—by giving them access to group buying power, shared resources, and support. Running a modern vet clinic is challenging. Vets run their own mini-hospitals, using very expensive technology, and unlike human GPs, they receive no government funding. We’re here to support them for the long haul, so the next generation of veterinarians can keep their clinics strong in their own communities.
If supporting local matters to you, IndieVets can help you and your pets find your nearest independent vet. Together, we’ll keep local care at the heart of our neighbourhoods.”
Does it matter who owns my local vet clinic?
That’s a personal choice, of course, and depends on what you value. If you’ve grown up with the Pringles, you know just how special that relationship can be—and we want to keep it going for years to come. Donna, their daughter, is now leading the way with her wonderful colleagues.
There’s a bigger picture, too. Choosing an independently owned clinic means you’re investing in your pet’s health—and also making a difference in your community and local economy. For example:
· We sponsor the local ripper rugby team.
· We pitch in for local school raffles.
· Some of our team, who live nearby, join in tree planting drives.
· Others have rescued pups from local animal shelters.
This is what community clinics are all about—caring for pets and giving back to the neighbourhoods they love.
