Meet Dr Jason
“Because great veterinary medicine isn’t just clinical skill — it’s how we show up for each other.“
Dr Jason Clark – Director & Large Animal Veterinarian
Role: Director & Large Animal Veterinarian
Trained: Massey University, New Zealand
Pathway: Returned to study as a mature student after OE confirmed he didn’t want a desk career
Clinic Journey: Joined VetsOne in 2008 and grew with the practice through major expansion
Focus: Large animal field work + leadership + culture systems
Team Philosophy: “We do our best work when we listen, support, and share responsibility.”
After-Hours: Shared roster, flexible cover, strong team backing
Favourite “Piece of Kit”: The calving pulley — because helping deliver a live calf and saving the heifer never gets old
Dr Jason
Hear from Dr Jason
Want to hear Jason in his own words?
He joined Julie South on the Veterinary Voices podcast to talk about what collaboration looks like in real practice, how shared protocols support consistent care, and why the team’s ability to support each other matters just as much as clinical skill.
Listen to Jason’s episode:
Episode 1009:
In this episode, Jason talks about returning to vet school as a mature student, growing with the clinic as it expanded, and how teamwork and shared protocols support great patient care.
Jason didn’t take the straight line into veterinary medicine. He came back to it with intent. Years spent overseas and behind a desk clarified what mattered to him: work with purpose, work with animals, work that connects you to people.
When he returned to vet school as a mature student, he treated study like a job — focused, committed, and clear about why he was there. He graduated into the clinic that would eventually become VetsOne and has stayed through every stage of its growth: from a small, one-building practice to the modern multi-floor hospital it is now.
As the clinic grew, Jason saw something important: good medicine depends on how the team works together.
Shared protocols. Clear communication. Mutual respect. Listening first. And backing each other when days are heavy, complex, or uncertain.
He talks openly about the nurses being the backbone of the clinic — the people who hold the emotional centre of patient care, client care, and team care. He means it when he says: “You’d be a silly vet to think you run the show. It’s the nurses who run the show.”
And when a cyclone cut off access to the building and directors couldn’t get to the clinic, the team didn’t wait to be told what to do. They opened the doors, cared for the animals, stayed overnight, and kept the practice going. Not because it was expected — but because this is who they are together.
It’s not the equipment.
It’s not the building.
It’s how people show up for each other.
That’s why Jason is here.
What Jason Values About This Team
For Jason, great veterinary care is a team sport.
The clinic’s values — Professionalism. Advocacy. Communication. Teamwork. — aren’t slogans on a wall. They’re the rhythm of how the team works together every day. Protocols are written with the team, not imposed on them. Ideas are welcomed, tested, and turned into shared systems that support everyone.
He values the way people speak up, contribute, ask for help, offer help, and hold each other to high standards — with kindness, not ego.
What makes the work meaningful isn’t just the medicine.
It’s knowing you’re doing it together.
Growing with the Clinic
When Jason joined in 2008, the practice was small enough that communication happened by leaning out the door and calling down the hallway. As the clinic expanded into a multi-floor hospital, the systems needed to expand too.
He helped lead that shift — not through top-down direction, but through team-built protocols that make the work clearer, safer, and more consistent for everyone. The euthanasia protocol is one example he’s especially proud of: written collaboratively, deeply compassionate, and intentionally designed to support the client, the pet, and the staff involved.
For Jason, professional growth isn’t about hierarchy — it’s about shared responsibility, shared voice, and shared standards.
Our Values in Practice
Professionalism
Doing what we say we’re going to do.
Maintaining clinical standards we’re proud of, even when the day is full or the case is complex.
Professionalism here isn’t about formality — it’s about consistency, care, and pride in our work.
Advocacy
We start from: “If this was my animal, what would I do?”
Then we collaborate with the client to find the best achievable plan.
Advocacy is both clinical and relational — it’s about doing right by the animal, while supporting the person who loves them.
Communication
Clear, calm, shared.
Morning huddles, afternoon run-throughs, and open conversation when things need to be adjusted.
Communication isn’t assumed here — it’s built into the rhythm of the day.
Teamwork
No one works alone.
Protocols are written with the team → not handed down.
Nurses lead patient care alongside vets.
On hard days, heavy days, cyclone days — we step in for each other without being asked.
Life Outside the Clinic
Jason lives in the Hawke’s Bay, where his commute is 15 minutes and his connection to the region runs deep. He values the climate, the coastline, and the balance of town and countryside — and he appreciates how many people who grew up here choose to return to raise their own families.
Away from work, you’ll usually find him outdoors — especially during calving season, where helping deliver a live calf and save the heifer is still one of the most rewarding parts of his job.
And That’s Why He’s Here.
Jason has seen the clinic evolve through major change — building expansions, emergency events, scaling the team, and formalising systems. Through all of it, what’s mattered most hasn’t changed:
The way people show up for each other.
It’s the collaboration.
The professionalism.
The animal advocacy.
The communication that keeps people grounded and connected.
The teamwork that carries the hard days as well as the good ones.
This isn’t just where he works.
It’s where he leads with his team.
And that’s why he’s here.