Mayor keeps eye on village email crusade

NEARLY 1000 emails were sent to the prime minister by 6.30pm yesterday in a final attempt to save the Roxburgh children’s village, Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said.

Residents south of the Waitaki River were asked to email an Otago Daily Times cartoon by Garrick Tremain about the village closure to Jacinda Ardern yesterday — one month from the scheduled closure of the village.

Mr Cadogan asked people to send an email to roxburghletsnotdothis@gmail.com after they sent an email to the prime minister so he could keep a tally of people participating in the campaign.

Mr Cadogan was monitoring that email and had received 956 early last night.

He said it was ‘‘great to show the people of the South care’’ and ‘‘1000 emails says a lot’’.

‘‘Whether it is enough to get the people in power to care, we will wait and see over the next couple of days.

Mr Cadogan hoped Ms Ardern would ‘‘take a look at the facts’’.

‘‘It’s as simple as bold as this — there is noone else that provides these services in the the area.

‘‘It’s an outrage for the people.’’

Mr Cadogan said the campaign was an original idea, dreamed up by him and his brother, Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan.

‘‘It amalgamated the internet and the press to bring the whole media together.’’

The ODT will confirm the final number of emails sent to the prime minister in tomorrow’s paper.