Vote with your feet, say march organisers

Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin hopes a public meeting at the Dunedin Town Hall on Thursday will send a strong message the South wants to retain its neurosurgery services.

And organisers of a march being planned for Friday hope thousands of people will step out to demonstrate the public's support to retain services.

The mayors and chairmen of every local authority in the Otago and Southland regions, the Southern District Health Board and all local members of Parliament have been invited to Thursday's 5.30pm meeting.

Mr Chin said yesterday he hoped they would fill the stage, and the public would fill the town hall.

While detailed planning for speakers would not be undertaken until today, he hoped a resolution would be adopted to recommend to the powers that be that neurosurgery services continue to operate from Dunedin.

The "Community Meets the Hospital" march will leave the Octagon at 11.45am on Friday and arrive at the hospital at 12.15pm, meeting hospital staff and others planning a symbolic "circle of support" around the hospital.

The march, along George St, down Hanover St and along Great King St to the dental school, is being organised by the Otago Daily Times, More FM, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the "Keep Neurosurgery in Dunedin" Facebook page.

Intending marchers are asked to gather in the Octagon from 11.30am on Friday.

People who cannot attend the march are encouraged to join the hospital staff's circle of support, which will be formed at the dental school at 12.15pm.