FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
Pohutukawa Coast Vets
Christie and her husband Alex decided to open the Pohutukawa Coast Vets after moving to the Coast with their three children four years ago.
They instantly fell in love with the community and wanted to create a warm and welcoming local small animal clinic close to home.
“We wanted to create a friendly local clinic, where we can get to know your pets and their conditions well, so we can offer you the best service possible. I’m so lucky to have such a dedicated experienced team that love their job just as much as I do.”
Meet Our Vets
Dr. Christie McDonald
BVSc (Veterinarian/Director)
Christie graduated from Massey University in 2006.
She has worked solely with companion animals since then and has spent time working at busy clinics with a varied case load from sick rescue puppies and kittens through to complex cancer management and working with canine reproduction.
Christie has a keen interest in small animal medicine, diagnostics and oncology. With some cases it takes a bit of time and detective work to get to the root of the problem and configure an individual treatment plan but she is dedicated to working with you to formulate the best plan for you and your pet.
When she’s not at the clinic, Christie enjoys running and yoga, eating good food and spending time with her family and their one eye pirate cat Quin and loveable chocolate lab Cherry.
In her own words, “The best days are those spent outdoors at the beach or on the boat or going for adventures with the kids, and lucky for us we don’t have to go far to experience all of that right here on the Pohutukawa Coast”
Dr. Margaret Gater
BVSc (Veterinarian)
Margaret graduated from Massey University in 2019.
She’s always been passionate about advocating for those who can’t speak for themselves, so a Veterinary career seemed fitting. She is keen to educate and share her knowledge and help to look after your furry and feathered family members.
Since completing her degree Margaret has worked mainly with companion animals, specifically cats and dogs and more recently she has also moved into the Emergency and critical care field. Not to mention she has a tremendous enthusiasm for all things birds and is especially interested in avian medicine.
Outside of work, Margaret enjoys going to the gym, gardening (indoor and outdoor plants), hiking/nature walks and spending time with her partner and son and their menagerie of animals. Margaret and her family recently moved to the Coast, so don’t be surprised if you see them out and about with their two dogs, ‘Blue’ the 3-legged deaf American Bulldog rescue & ‘Nala’ a collie cross SPCA special. Otherwise, she’s spending time at home with their flock of parrots and two Himalayan Persians.
Meet Our Nurses
Connor
Connor has been a vet nurse for fourteen years, “It’s such a rewarding job helping and caring for patients and seeing that you’re really making a difference to the animals and their owner’s lives.”
It’s pretty special to be able to meet a young animal when they first join their forever family and to then care and interact with them throughout their lives right up until they are at the other end of their journey. We are so lucky in this job to watch them grow and develop into adult animals and gain their own unique personalities.
Connor has spent a large amount of her nursing career involved with Canine reproduction and has even helped deliver a litter of 17 puppies!
Connor hails from South Auckland, she has really enjoyed working in Beachlands, it’s such a great community and who wouldn’t love working a step away from the beach. Not a bad place to be when one of your favourite outdoors activities is paddleboarding, she also enjoys gardening and spending time with friends and family.
Early in her nursing career Connor adopted a tiny tortie with a big personality, “Bumble” who is now 12 years old. From time to time she fosters puppies for some of Auckland’s amazing dog rescues.
If your dogs haven’t already met Connor she will soon become their best friend when they realise the never ending supply of treats in her pockets.
Rebecca
Rebecca qualified with her Diploma of Veterinary Nursing in 2022 and was lucky enough to be employed by a busy clinic throughout her studies allowing her to gain lots of hands-on experience while she was learning.
Rebecca enjoys all aspects of veterinary nursing, but she especially enjoys assisting clients to help their pets through quality veterinary care and is big on client education. She also loves the processes of surgical vet nursing, from admitting the patient to monitoring anaesthetics and then making sure the patients recover well.
When she’s not at the clinic you’ll find Rebecca at the track, she is a keen horse rider and spends her mornings riding thoroughbred racehorses in their morning workouts, rain hail or shine!
She also loves going out for adventurous walks with her husband and dog. She has a passion for travelling and seeing the world, so a lot of my spare time is spent planning the next overseas adventure.
She shares her home with a little mini schnauzer cross, Neo and a cat called Pearl (or Purrle to those who know her, as she’s always purring) who she took home one day after she was brought in off the streets as a tiny kitten. Neo and Pearl are the best of friends, Rebecca thinks Pearl thinks she’s actually a dog as she was raised with only dogs for friends! Let’s see how her latest addition fits in, as she has already adopted is a little fluffy kitten from Coastal Cat Rescue.
“Pohutukawa Coast Vets is such an awesome clinic to work at as a veterinary nurse as the community is so welcoming and friendly, we really do have awesome clients.”
Emma
Emma joined our nursing team earlier this year and will finish her Diploma of Veterinary Nursing at Vet Nurse Plus at the end of this year.
She has been working in the veterinary industry over the last 2 years alongside completing her studies and has had a passion for animals from a young age. Emma feels grateful to have found a career where animal care is a focus. She has hopes of fostering animals in the future and eventually expanding her fur family that already consists of a 10 month old kitten, Laila.
Outside of work, Emma loves to spend time with friends and family and going to the gym, adventuring on road trips and spending times outdoors, especially at New Zealand’s wonderful beaches.
When she’s not exploring the outdoors or hanging out with friends and family, you’ll often find her in the kitchen baking delicious treats. She has the travel bug and has already visited over twenty countries and hopes to visit many more.
Contact us to book an appointment
Please let us know your name, pets name, phone number and preferred time and date and we’ll get back to you soon!
For after hours emergencies, please contact The Manukau After-hours Veterinary Clinic on 09 277 8383.
Phone: 09 320 1472
Email: [email protected]
Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm
Saturday: 9am to 12pm
Sunday: Closed