4 March 2026
Leone House has all the skills we expect of our amazing Plunket nurses – in-depth knowledge of child health and development from 0-5 and bucketloads of empathy and reassurance for worried parents. But she also has a couple of extra tools in her nursing kete – a four-wheel drive vehicle and an ability to wrangle stock if needed.
As a rural nurse in the Te Kauwhata/Huntly area, often travelling more than 1000kms a month to reach rural whānau, the last two come in handy.
“I can go from seeing whānau in the village of Te Kauwhata or the town of Huntly to the back-blocks of rural New Zealand,” she says. “I may have to open and close gates to get to dwellings – I say dwellings as I can be at a house, tiny home, converted barn or anything in between.
“I may have to go up long driveways, tanker tracks and metal or just dirt tracks. I might have to deal with cows, bulls, sheep, peacocks, chickens, dogs, cats, and I have been in a house with pet rats. So having some sense with dealing with livestock helps!” she says.
After nearly nine years on the country beat, she says it is a privilege to support rural whānau on their parenting journey. “I love it. Rural pēpi, māmā and whānau are so resilient… they run playgroups and get togethers to support each other, they are so resourceful and welcoming.”
But there are challenges too. “I see a lot of parents trying very hard to do their best with very little… Isolation is a big concern for whānau I visit. Community playgroups, and even neighbours can be 10-15 min away by car.
Leone also visits new migrant māmā with little or no English. “They don’t drive and they can be very isolated due to not having any family or friends in NZ. Often a Plunket nurse or kaiāwhina visit is a highlight of their day.”
Making parents aware of Plunket’s website, social media pages and PlunketLine is important, she says as well as providing information pamphlets in different languages.
Her advice to anyone considering rural nursing would be give it a go but as a dairy farmer’s daughter she adds, “always remember to close the gate behind you”.
