Many thanks to Jonathan Law for the transcript
Evening Post
(New Zealand)22 October 2000
Fans Plan Fight Over Xena Axing.
Xena Warrior Princess Fans aren't about to give up on their heroine despite an announcement that the cult TV show has been canned. The American Producers of the show, which turned New Zealand actor Lucy Lawless into an international star have announced that the 6th season currently in production, would be its last. The series which has been made for 6 years is mostly shot in West Auckland.
But Dunedin-(NZ)based Sylvia Ovenall, who helps runs the New Zealand and Australian Xena fan's Website, New Xenaland, said some fans were already planning a letter campaign in the hope that the show's producers would change their mind. But not all Xena Fans would join the campaign. Ms Ovenall said that she and others had accepted it was over.
"If Rob Tapert (the show's executive producer and Lucy's husband) says the shows finished, the show is finished. Ms Ovenall, who has attended several Xena conventions in the US and hosted Xena fans in her home, said she still planned to attend a Xena convention in California next year. She would continue to be a fan of the series because of the large number of friends she has made.
"Its sad, but again a lot of friendships have been made throughout the world through Xena and that to me is the fantastic part. "People have got together all because of the shoe..." Ms Ovenall said New Zealand fans also had a lot more episodes to watch. While the 4th season was currently screening on Sky 1, only the first 3 seasons have been screened on free-to-air channels.
The show's popularity even extends to United States Secretary of State Madelein Albright. On a visit to New Zealand in 1998, Mrs Albright revealed that Xena was one of her role models "who is from here, so I feel very much at home".