15 May 2012

Massey University plans for more vets

8:00 am on 15 May 2012

Massey University plans to increase its capacity to train veterinarians by 40%.

It will spend $75 million upgrading and expanding New Zealand's only veterinary school in Palmerston North.

Project leader Frazer Allan says that will mean an extra 180 students having the chance to complete the five-year veterinary science degree and it is the first upgrade to the school since the early 1970s.

Professor Allan says a 40% increase in the number of graduates will help compensate for a growing shortage of veterinarians in New Zealand over the next 20 years.