In 1994, Taupo members of the Rotorua District Veterinary Club (RDVC) decided, due to the inability to move the Taupo vet practice forward in a way locals thought best for the region, to divide the Taupo practice from the RDVC.
A considerable period of negotiation took place with the Directors of the RDVC.
Finally, to break the impasse where Taupo members felt that the Taupo practice was already owned by them and Rotorua wasn’t prepared to let it go without considerable payment, an agreement was signed for a new Taupo Vet Society to be formed and to purchase the Nukuhau Street land, building and plant, with RDVC leaving in finance at favorable interest rates.
The deposit was funded by selling the practice, plant and goodwill to the four vets John Hunter, Garry Chisholm, Don Shanks and Stu Hutchings, who were working in the Taupo practice. The Society retained the land and buildings and the balance of debt was paid off over a ten year period.
The new society, Taupo Animal Welfare Health and Veterinary Society Incorporated was formed, registered and held its first AGM in November 1994.
The Society began monitoring Facial Eczema spore levels in 2000 collecting samples once a week during autumn from four different farms within the Society catchment and publishing spore counts in the local paper, on a telephone hotline and at the vet practice. This has proved successful and appreciated by members and is ongoing.
In 2001 additions and alterations to the building were carried out. Structural costs including new car parking were funded by the Society (through a bank loan) and internal work by the vet practice.
Early in 2006 the Society celebrated debt free status and felt it could start looking for suitable projects to sponsor. Later that year the Society started funding research projects making funds of up to $20k a year available through Massey University and direct to a veterinarian practicing with VETPlus at Reporoa.
A decision was made that, rather than the Society going into debt again to facilitate further building alterations, to sell the building to a group of vets from the practice, leaving finance in. Settled 1st May 2008, the Society funded the vet’s purchase by way of a first mortgage on the land and buildings
Vet Student grants were commenced in the spring of 2008 to assist with senior students carrying out their practicum at VETPlus with the object of encouraging quality graduate vets to take up rural practice.
After difficulties with sponsorship of Massey research projects, it was decided to make available scholarship funding for selected students to study either veterinary or agriculture related degrees at either Massey or Lincoln Universities. This was first awarded for the 2011 academic year.
At the AGM in 2013, the Society changed its name to Central Plateau Vet Society Incorporated.