diff --git a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_instances.py b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_instances.py
index baee7a1769..7f2e1566c3 100644
--- a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_instances.py
+++ b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_instances.py
@@ -49,7 +49,14 @@ class CollectNukeInstances(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
 
             # Create instance
             instance = context.create_instance(subset)
-            instance.add(node)
+            instance.append(node)
+
+            # Add all nodes in group instances.
+            if node.Class() == "Group":
+                node.begin()
+                for i in nuke.allNodes():
+                    instance.append(i)
+                node.end()
 
             family = avalon_knob_data["families"]
             if node["render"].value():
diff --git a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_writes.py b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_writes.py
index c5326e0ba2..7104e3bd05 100644
--- a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_writes.py
+++ b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/collect_writes.py
@@ -14,24 +14,17 @@ class CollectNukeWrites(pyblish.api.InstancePlugin):
     families = ["render", "render.local", "render.farm"]
 
     def process(self, instance):
-        # if not instance.data["publish"]:
-        #     continue
 
-        group = instance[0]
+        node = None
+        for x in instance:
+            if x.Class() == "Write":
+                node = x
 
-        if group.Class() != "Group":
+        if node is None:
             return
 
         self.log.debug("checking instance: {}".format(instance))
 
-        group.begin()
-
-        for n in nuke.allNodes():
-            if n.Class() != "Write":
-                continue
-            node = n
-        group.end()
-
         # Determine defined file type
         ext = node["file_type"].value()
 
@@ -120,7 +113,5 @@ class CollectNukeWrites(pyblish.api.InstancePlugin):
             "outputType": output_type,
             "colorspace": node["colorspace"].value(),
         })
-        
-        instance.insert(1, instance[0])
-        instance[0] = node
+
         self.log.debug("instance.data: {}".format(instance.data))
diff --git a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/extract_render_local.py b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/extract_render_local.py
index 78bb1ca63f..29de347288 100644
--- a/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/extract_render_local.py
+++ b/pype/plugins/nuke/publish/extract_render_local.py
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@ class NukeRenderLocal(pype.api.Extractor):
     families = ["render.local"]
 
     def process(self, instance):
-        node = instance[0]
+        node = None
+        for x in instance:
+            if x.Class() == "Write":
+                node = x
 
         self.log.debug("instance collected: {}".format(instance.data))
 
@@ -32,6 +35,11 @@ class NukeRenderLocal(pype.api.Extractor):
         self.log.info("Start frame: {}".format(first_frame))
         self.log.info("End frame: {}".format(last_frame))
 
+        # Ensure output directory exists.
+        directory = os.path.dirname(node["file"].value())
+        if not os.path.exists(directory):
+            os.makedirs(directory)
+
         # Render frames
         nuke.execute(
             node_subset_name,