Person of the month: So far, so good thanks to brotherly kidney gift

Lance Tavinor gave a kidney to his brother. Photo / Rebecca Malcolm

For Lance Tavinor, the reason for donating a kidney was simple - helping his brother out.

The spinoff of increasing publicity around organ donation is just an added benefit.

Mr Tavinor earned the title of Rotorua Daily Post Person of the Month for July for his selfless act. It's almost three months since the two-and-a-half hour surgery in which his left kidney was removed and transplanted into his brother, Grant.

Mr Tavinor said it was a case of "so far, so good" for Grant.

"I'm fine. I'm back on the bike and I feel a million dollars, to be honest. I don't feel like I have had an operation."

He said he never considered being a donor until his brother needed a kidney. "When I got my licence I was like 17 -- you don't think about too much when you are that age."

Mr Tavinor said he'd love to see more done to raise awareness of kidney donation, and to make it easier for those who wanted to donate. He said ideas like a parliamentary member's bill that would vastly increase payments to kidney and liver donors while they recovered seemed a good idea.

The Financial Assistance For Live Organ Donors Bill by Chris Bishop, National list MP based in the Hutt Valley, was drawn from the ballot in June.

While it wouldn't have helped Mr Tavinor, who saved up his holidays for the surgery, he said it might make a difference for others. "I didn't go in this for publicity. I did this to help my brother out."