Cancer care reform campaigner Blair Vining will influence a lot of people's lives in future, say friends who have joined tributes to the Southland man who died this morning after being diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.
The 39-year-old farmer faced long delays for treatment at his local hospital, and realising the disparity between services across the country, started a campaign for a national cancer agency.
He organised a 140,000-signature petition to Parliament, which contributed to the decision last August to establish a national Cancer Action Plan.
The Southland man, who has bowel cancer, wants the agency to oversee cancer care throughout the country.
Dayna Cunningham knew Blair for about the last 12 years and was good mate.
"He impacts a lot of people just being himself but...I guess the reach that he's had has been pretty overwhelming for everyone and been pretty special for us to all be part of," Mr Cunningham told 1 NEWS today.
"He's just Blair. But he's influenced a lot of people's lives for now, he's probably going to influence a lot of people's lives in future," he said.
"He's just a really loyal bugger, you know. He's a guy you can rely on all the time no matter what the situation and he'd give his shirt off his back to anyone. So to be his mate and to know he's there whenever you needed him was pretty special."
Ben McHugh was a good mate of Mr Vining's since 1992, when he moved to Southland from "mooloo country" - Waikato.
The Southland farmer was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer last year, and chose to use the little time he had left to fight for others.
"He fought the good fight and he's probably changed the landscape for a lot of guys," Mr McHugh said.
"What he's done is now probably hitting home, what a legend he was. When he passed away this morning a lot of the boys had text messages from people far and wide and [it] just really shows what he probably meant to everybody," he said.
"So yeah, been quite humbling for us to know him. We just know him as Blair but to the rest of the country he's a bit of a legend really.
"We had messages from people in Japan and that, a few rugby players, a few journos, a few people that we know over there and just overseas. And he's definitely probably got a global feeling to it."
Mr McHugh said Blair's mates miss him immensely and they caught up with him most days even when he was sick, right up to last night.
"Just his wit. Just when you think he's not listening and was slipping away he'd just manage a remark or something just to let you know he was still with it. He was very, very lucky that way, he still had his marbles so to speak all the way."
Mr McHugh said Blair didn't want to go into a hospice was looked after at home by his wife Melissa.
He's also survive by their two daughters, Della-May and Lilly.
A Givealittle page has been set up to provide support for Blair’s wife and children, and this evening it was at $28,736
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