Takurua Vets is looking for a veterinary nurse to help us build the next stage of our urgent care and after-hours service.
From 3 August 2026, Takurua Vets will begin closing at 10pm as we develop our twilight urgent care service. Over time, this role is expected to develop alongside the clinic as we move toward fuller overnight care and eventually a 24-hour service.
This is an active role, but it does not need to be a traditional full-time position. It may suit a nurse who enjoys urgent care, inpatient care, and practical clinical work, but who is not necessarily looking for a full-time or permanent role.
It may also suit someone who wants to contribute alongside another position, take on regular twilight or on-call work, or be involved for a defined period while the service develops.
Urgent care nursing at Takurua Vets is hands-on, practical, and closely connected to the day-to-day clinical life of the clinic.
Depending on experience, availability, and the needs of the team, this role may include triage support, patient handling, inpatient care, monitoring, blood collection, catheter placement, fluid therapy support, anaesthesia support, client communication, cleaning, restocking, and general workflow support across urgent and after-hours cases.
In the early stage, the role is likely to involve twilight work and on-call support rather than a fixed overnight roster. As the clinic grows, the shape of the role may change.
Position details
Flexible role shape by experience, availability, and clinic need
Twilight, overnight, or on-call veterinary nursing work
$30-$40 per hour, depending on experience and the hours worked
Upper Riccarton, Christchurch
Companion animal urgent care, ECC, and inpatient nursing support
Developing service moving toward fuller overnight and 24-hour care
Takurua Vets is an Immigration New Zealand accredited employer. Eligible overseas applicants are welcome to enquire where this aligns with visa requirements and the needs of the role.
This role may suit a veterinary nurse with a genuine interest in urgent care, inpatient nursing, and after-hours support.
This may include a nurse with emergency experience, an experienced GP nurse, or a capable nurse who is looking for a more flexible way to contribute to urgent clinical work.
We would especially like to hear from nurses who are calm, practical, observant, and dependable. This role may suit someone who communicates clearly, works well with vets and other nurses, takes patient comfort seriously, and can stay steady when cases are time-sensitive, uncertain, or stressful.
This does not need to be your only role, your primary career focus, or something you commit to indefinitely. For the right person, it may be a way to contribute meaningfully to urgent care while maintaining other work, study, family, or professional commitments.
Takurua Vets is continuing to grow, and our urgent care service is being built in stages. The move to a 10pm close is part of a longer-term transition toward fuller overnight care and, eventually, a 24-hour service.
Because this is still developing, we are interested in someone who is comfortable with some flexibility as systems, rosters, workflows, and caseloads mature.
For the right person, this may be an opportunity to be involved in shaping urgent care nursing in an independent clinic from an early stage, rather than stepping into a fixed model that has already been fully defined.
Takurua Vets is continuing to build around calm, thoughtful veterinary care, with a growing clinic-wide commitment to fear-free and pain-conscious practice.
For urgent care and ECC nursing, this means careful monitoring, thoughtful handling, good pain awareness, clear communication, and practical support for patients, clients, vets, and the wider clinical team.
We are interested in nurses who value good patient care, good judgement, and a way of working that supports both patient welfare and sustainable clinical practice.
If you are interested in urgent care, twilight, overnight, or on-call nursing work with Takurua Vets, we would be happy to hear from you.
Please send your CV and a short note introducing yourself, your nursing background, your experience or interest in urgent care, and the kind of role or availability you may be looking for.
