Abstract: Public health nursing has been an integral part of health delivery services in New Zealand since the development of a public health service in the early 1900s.
This paper details a qualitative study of a practice innovation undertaken by a group of nurses to reconnect with their school communities. Questions focused on whether the relationship between the public health nurses and their school communities improved as a result of the innovation and what impact, if any, the project had on the public health nurse team itself. Community of practice theory revealed the importance of collaboration and the benefits that can accrue from this approach for both nurse and school communities.