Our Team

Dr Keryn Borea, BVSc (Hons)

Keryn qualified as a vet with honours in Veterinary medicine from a South African university in 2004, Silvi and her were study colleagues back in the day. She has experience in small animal and equine practice but most recently full time in small and companion animals. Keryn loves all things vet she can be found consulting, doing complicated medical work ups, soft tissue surgery and even the odd orthopaedic surgery and of course sneaking as many cuddles with your pets as is acceptable 😉
'Veterinary medicine is not just a job, it is a career, a passion and a way of life.'
Keryn along with Bree took ownership of Northlands Animal Care Hospital in 2021, she moved to New Zealand in 2020 with her husband and two children, who are all very excited to be embarking on this adventure of life in New Zealand. In her spare time she can be found in the backcountry fly fishing or poolside with her 2 children who are competitive swimmers.

Dr Silvi Weiss, BVSc (Hons)

Silvi grew up in Namibia but moved to South Africa to study veterinary science at the University of Pretoria (Onderstepoort), where she graduated in 2004. She completed the Small Animal Veterinary Honours degree in 2007 while practicing as a small animal practitioner in Pretoria. She continued to work in small animal and mixed animal practice in South Africa until she packed up her husband, 2 dogs and 1 cat and moved to Christchurch in January 2017.
She has a real fondness for diagnostic imaging, practical medicine and staying up to date with the newest developments in the veterinary field.
The moments away from the practice she spends with her hubby (Vincent) and dog Sia, discovering this new country's sounds, sights and tastes.

Dr Erica Gatland, BVSc

Erica graduated from Massey University in 2022. She is excited to be launching her veterinary career at Northlands Animal Care and looking forward to taking care of all your beloved pets. When she is not scrubbed in for surgery, squeezing a dog's anal glands or pilling a cat, she can be found in the mountains rock climbing. Erica has been climbing for 15 years and travelled all over the world for the sport competing both nationally and internationally.

Dr Karen Valu, BVSC

Karen, or Dr K as she is affectionately known graduated from Massey University in 2007. She spent most of her veterinary career working in Hawkes Bay and moved to Christchurch in 2020. She has a special interest in animal physical rehabilitation and is currently completing the Canine Rehabilitation Certification. Karen and her husband have three cats (Simba, TeeJay and Narissa) and a staffy mix (Odie). In her free time she enjoys walking her dog, going out with friends and fundraising for animal rescues through her Scents4Paws.

Bree

Working with animals is in her blood, with both her father and grandfather being vets. From an early age she would go to work with her dad to watch surgeries/consultations and help out round the clinic.

Bree has always had the travel bug spending 8 years overseas, visiting many countries throughout Europe and Africa before settling in the French Alps. After returning home for 4 years she was supposed to re-locate to Canada. However, Covid-19 put a hold on that and now she has settled in New Zealand. Her passions are snowboarding, mountain biking, surfing, trail running, kayaking and loads more.

Kim

Kim completed the National Certificate in Verterinary Nursing with Otago Polytechnic in 2015, she then joined our team in 2016. She is currently studying the New Zealand Diploma of Veterinary Nursing with Otago Polytechnic. As a country kid she has always surrounded by animals of all shapes and sizes, this continues today. Outside of work and study she is involved in her daughters school and sport activities, indoor football and camping.

CJ

Kia ora! My name is CJ and I started working at Northlands in 2019. After completing my Biology BSc in 2013 and my Certificate in Animal Management in 2016, I realised vet nursing was where I wanted to be. I completed my Diploma in Veterinary Nursing in 2018 and am absolutely loving it! In my spare time I scale mountains, delve into dark caves and fight dragons... all online of course. I am a big fan of puppers (above is my furry son Lazarus), but I love all animals both great and small.

Kimmy

My name is Kimmy and I have been working at Northlands since September 2013 after gaining my certificate in Veterinary Nursing.
I have returned to work after some maternity leave and now have two kids with my husband, Harper and Marcus, who certainly keep me on my toes! We also have a Burmese cat named Ella who is very happy to laze in the sun all day long and a young ginger tom named Nemo.
Being back at work has been an absolute joy and I love working with and helping all your amazing fur babies. Outside of work I love spending time with my family and going for bike rides on sunny days.

Courtney

Courtney has a BSc in Zoology & Ecology from Massey University, and a Certificate of Captive Wild Animal Management from Unitec, during which she did a year at Wellington Zoo as a Student Keeper. She finished her Diploma of Veterinary Nursing at Ara in 2022 and has been working at Northlands since then. She hopes to integrate her unique wildlife management experience and conservation knowledge into the job, and is interested in critical care and internal medicine. In her spare time, she loves reading, playing board games & video games, and cooking elaborate meals & unhealthy desserts! She lives in Christchurch with her husband and her cat Mika.

Tatanya

Tatanya joined our team as a student in August 2022 and began working in December 2022. She wears a lot of hats, helping to manage our cattery, sort a lot of our paperwork, and even starting her own Weight Management Nurse Clinic in 2024! In her spare time she walks her dog Kaiser, hangs out with her two cats Data and Kero, and plays lots of video games. Her favourite area of veterinary nursing is hospital work and animal nutrition.

Jec

Jec (short for Jessica) grew up in Sydney, Australia where she trained as a Veterinary Nurse, qualifying in 2002. Since then she has travelled the world before meeting her kiwi fella and settling down in NZ. Having recently escaped from Auckland, Jec is loving the Chch life with her partner and two daughters. Jec has a special interest in emergency veterinary medicine, exotics (especially birds and reptiles), intensive care patients and getting hands-on with the really juicy wounds! In her spare time Jec enjoys swimming, sewing attending gigs and watching horror movies.

Kat

Kat has worked as a vet nurse for 8 years, but after a recent 18 month career change realised veterinary nursing was what she loved most and needed to do! She joined our team in October 2023 and has been loving it ever since. She loves all areas of vet nursing but is especially fond of getting her hands dirty with juicy cat bite abscesses.
In her spare time she rides horses, spends time with her family and her cat George, and is an avid fan of horror movies and true crime!

Ashley

Ashley joined our team in June 2024 working part time while she completed her diploma in veterinary nursing through Ara. She has a Bachelor of Arts through Otago, and is a big history nerd who loves anthropology and archaeology. Ashley has a keen interest in client education and is enjoying applying all she is learning in her studies to her work. In her spare time she plays a lot of football!

Zuzana

Zuzana graduated as a veterinarian from the Veterinary and Pharmaceutic University of Brno in the Czech Republic in 2013. After embarking on a journey around the world with her partner, they discovered their love for New Zealand and have settled in Christchurch ever since. Unable to practice as a vet in New Zealand due to diploma restrictions, Zuzana pursued her passion for veterinary medicine by transitioning to become a vet nurse, gaining a different perspective on animal care. And she is loving it! Outside of work, Zuzana and her family, including daughter Barboa, are avid adventurers, often found exploring mountains, traveling in their campervan or enjoying various outdoor activities together