A billboard imploring the government to build the hospital to the specifications promised has been installed in Wellington on the northern motorway to Kapiti Coast.
The billboard reads: "A band aid won’t help these cuts — help us get the hospital we were promised".
It comes after the government proposed to either downscale the new Dunedin hospital project or retro-fit the existing Dunedin Hospital.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said the purpose of the billboard was to get "as many eyeballs in Wellington as possible" as the South takes the fight to the government.
"These people aren’t necessarily going to donate to our campaign.
The march of more than 30,000 people to support the new Dunedin hospital project indicated the depth of feeling in the South, as was the recent letter signed by 44 of the region’s top clinical directors urging the government to build the project to the right-sized specifications.
"So the clinicians have thrown their weight behind the right-sizedness of the hospital, and the public are getting in behind it."
There would also be petition and electronic postcard campaigns, while Mr Radich and others will continue their trip through the regions to drum up further support for the campaign.
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop have said a decision on the new Dunedin hospital will be made in a matter of weeks.
"I think it’s really important that the government politicians of this area in particular are aware of the feelings of the people about their healthcare," Mr Radich said.
The campaign was waylaid somewhat due to the flooding earlier this month, but now it was full steam ahead.
Plans were being made for a mayoral delegation to visit the ministers in the next few weeks.
He was neither "more optimistic nor less optimistic" about the campaign’s likely success.
"We know things are moving fast ... but there is only [one] chance to get this right for the region in 50 years."
