New Zealand Nurses Organisation industrial adviser Glenda
Alexander (left), Nurses Organisation area organiser
Lorraine Lobb and Otago Daily Times editor Murray Kirkness,
with some of the first pages of the save southern
neurosurgery petition that were counted yesterday. Photo by
Stephen Jaquiery.
Organisers of a petition to save southern neurosurgery
expect about 20,000 people - possibly more - to have put their
name to the campaign to keep the vital service in Dunedin.
The first count of early returns late yesterday showed more
than 17,000 people had signed petition pages collected by the
Otago Daily Times, The Southland Times, the New
Zealand Nurses Organisation, and members of the community.
The newspapers still had many more pages to count last night
and were keenly anticipating news of the many hundreds of
pages of signatures that had yet to be handed in which had
been collected by people and businesses across the region.
Otago Daily Times editor Murray Kirkness and The
Southland Times editor Fred Tulett expected to see at
least 20,000 signatures by the time all the signatures were
tallied.
Mr Kirkness said the campaign had stirred the passions of
southerners determined to keep the life-saving service where
it could benefit friends and family the most.
"People see this campaign is about supporting something that
saves lives," Mr Kirkness said.
"It's shown us that people care about retaining crucial
services in the South.
"The two competing newspapers worked together on this
petition because we recognise this is a huge issue - and the
people of the South obviously agree with us."
Mr Tulett said a Southland woman had collected about 3500
signatures. Another 3200 were collected when Otago
unsuccessfully challenged Southland for the Ranfurly Shield
last weekend.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation collected more than 1000
by yesterday afternoon. Organiser Lorraine Lobb said the
response was humbling and overwhelming.
Mr Kirkness urged anyone with petitions to post or deliver
the forms so they arrived at the ODT before 5pm on Tuesday.
They will be collated and taken to Wellington soon
afterwards.
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