The group was established to provide support for nurses who worked in rural communities throughout the country, including nurse practitioners, rural nurse specialists, district nurses and those in rural hospitals.
''We want to raise the profile of rural nurses and establish networking opportunities for those in isolated areas,'' Ms Johnson said.
They created a Facebook page, which attracted more than 190 members, and then they asked for expressions of interest to form a working group.
Eight were voted on to the group and they co-opted another nurse.
They have also held two video conferences to date.
''We established our terms of reference and job descriptions of [the group's] officers,'' she said.
The group also carried out a survey among the members, with 136 responses, to find out where rural nurses were based, age ranges, how long they had been working in rural communities and what sort of barriers, challenges and social and professional isolation they faced.
The group's objectives included establishing and maintaining networking opportunities, encouraging retention and recruitment of nurses in rural areas, contributing to the standardisation of standing orders for rural New Zealand, providing support, and influencing a recognised career pathway for rural nurses.
The group will also act as an advocate for rural nurses.
They are also considering whether they will work under an umbrella of another group or remain independent.
''We don't want to reinvent work done by others,'' Ms Lawry said.
Other established health professional groups were supportive of the RNNZ.
Ms Lawry said they hoped to hold a workshop focusing on rural nurses at the next rural health conference in Auckland in March.
-By Yvonne O'Hara
Southern Rural Life
