I have been a nurse for 47 years. It is a career that has been varied, challenging and utterly rewarding. I have worked in urban settings, and rural New Zealand. From tertiary/quaternary hospitals to remote rural hospitals, I have been privileged to work with nurses and other healthcare professionals who share my passion for providing quality healthcare. The past 15 years my focus has been rural New Zealand. My jobs included nursing leadership roles and latterly management roles.

I joined the Rural Hospital Network executive team, to provide a nursing voice in this national organisation. I learned that rural nurses belonged to various organisations – but these focussed on the nursing profession rather than the challenges of nursing in a rural environment. Some nurses participated in the Rural GP Network. This organisation provided leadership in the rural health space, but was strongly primary healthcare focussed at that time. So rural hospital nurses didn’t identify with the organisation.

Eventually an opportunity arose for a group of like minded rural nurses, to establish a network for all rural nurses to connect. It differs from other organisations in that it has non financial membership, it connects to rural nurses across New Zealand via it’s Facebook presence and its website. An executive has been established to champion projects and provide leadership. We have deliberately tried to include nurses throughout Aotearoa working in a variety of areas. Our aim is inclusion and to improve the profile and support of rural nurses.

I live in Central Otago so have strong links rurally throughout the lower South Island. However, through Rural Nurses NZ, I feel part of a larger whanau of rural healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, and these connections remind me constantly of all that rural people have in common. Together we have more chance to improve support for rural nurses and therefore improve the healthcare that is provided to our rural communities.

Margareth (Ngāpuhi and Dutch whakapapa) is the Ahorangi / Chief Executive of Hauora Hokianga – a hauora Māori provider in the west coast far North.   Born in the Hokianga she fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2021 to return home to serve the people of Hokianga.

With a nursing career spanning nearly 40  years, Margareth has held various leadership, management and governance roles within clinical practice, academic and policy environments.

Margareth’s roles prior to returning home included being the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Northland DHB  and representing nursing at a national level as the Chief Nurse with the Ministry of Health.

With rural health close to her heart and home, the reality of rurality is a mantra she promotes to ensure there is a continued focus on addressing inequities and improving health outcomes for rural communities.

She is honoured to be the Chair of Te Rōpū Ārahi and board member of Hauora Taiwhenua where she believes her years of experience as a Registered Nurse, leadership and management roles, and passion for Māori and rural health will be well utilised.