Four volunteers have stepped up to fill roles in West Otago Plunket, avoiding the possibility of the branch losing its incorporated society status.
At an emergency meeting in Tapanui earlier this week Chrissy Van der Laan was elected president, Simon Hales vice-president, Elizabeth Jane Evans secretary and Anna Thomas treasurer.
Last month outgoing president Zita Young said four other positions on the committee were filled at the branch's annual meeting, but the group had called an emergency meeting to try to fill the other two key roles - president and secretary-treasurer.
Having four new committee members was a ''lovely surprise'', Mrs Young told the Otago Daily Times this week.
''It is a great response ... I was always hopeful, but never sure.''
The township was in danger of losing its volunteer Plunket services, and could have become a Plunket group under the umbrella of the Southland Area Board, she said.
If a local branch shed its incorporated status it yielded some financial powers and transferred any assets, such as a Plunket building, to the larger area board, but remained in charge of the daily running of the branch.
About 19 people attended the emergency meeting, and supported retaining the branch's incorporated status.
