The challenge

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) partnered with Haines to proactively source and build an international talent pipeline for the position of Senior Advisor – Veterinary Medicines, a role that had historically been very difficult to fill.

The position required a unique combination of expertise. Successful candidates needed to be qualified veterinarians with a strong understanding of veterinary pharmacology, experience working with livestock, and, most importantly, practical experience within a veterinary medicines regulatory environment. While New Zealand produced excellent veterinarians, professionals with this highly specialised combination of clinical and regulatory experience were extremely limited within the local market. Traditional recruitment methods and active applicants had consistently failed to deliver a sustainable pipeline for the role, despite ongoing workforce needs and regular backfill requirements.

Alongside proactive sourcing, Haines also reviewed MPI's advertising strategy. Rather than relying solely on traditional job boards such as Seek, the campaign was expanded to include specialist veterinary and regulatory industry platforms that were more likely to reach suitably qualified professionals.

The insight

Successful proactive sourcing begins with understanding not only the role itself, but also how equivalent work is structured internationally.

Working closely with the hiring manager, Haines identified countries whose veterinary medicines regulatory systems closely aligned with New Zealand's. Based on previous successful international appointments and comparable regulatory frameworks, the search focused on the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and South Africa.

Rather than targeting veterinarians broadly, the sourcing strategy focused specifically on professionals already working within equivalent government agencies and veterinary regulatory organisations. These individuals possessed the combination of veterinary qualifications, livestock knowledge, pharmacology expertise, and regulatory experience that the role demanded.

The project also reinforced that proactive sourcing and targeted advertising complement each other. While direct sourcing enabled MPI to engage passive international candidates who would never have applied independently, the refined advertising strategy significantly improved the quality of active applicants from within New Zealand.

The strategy

Haines delivered its Talent Supply – Direct Proactive Sourcing solution by combining international market mapping, targeted LinkedIn Recruiter searches, personalised outreach, and specialist industry advertising.

The team invested time in understanding comparable international regulatory organisations before systematically identifying and engaging professionals with highly relevant backgrounds. Every candidate was approached individually, with conversations tailored around both the role and the opportunity to relocate to New Zealand.

Alongside proactive sourcing, Haines implemented a targeted advertising campaign using specialist veterinary and regulatory platforms outside the standard recruitment channels, helping MPI reach a broader and more relevant audience.

Within just 30 hours of sourcing work over a four-week period, Haines built a strong pipeline of qualified international candidates while simultaneously supporting the active recruitment campaign.