Council rejects 'subterfuge' claim on fluoridation poll

A lobby group is claiming  the Far North District Council chief executive tried to sway voters taking part in a fluoridation survey.
The survey of about 5000 households asked people connected to the town supplies in Kaikohe and Kaitaia whether they wanted fluoridation re-started after a two-year Health Ministry-funded trial which ended in March 2009. Voting closed last Friday.
The Fluoride Action Network has obtained emails through the Official Information Act which the lobby group says show council chief executive Dave Edmunds trying to co-ordinate a meeting between the Northland District Health Board and Kaikohe-based Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi, "to get them to influence iwi to vote for fluoridation".
Mr Edmunds was baffled by the allegation.
On April 8 he had attended his usual monthly meeting with runanga representatives, who told him they wanted a presentation about fluoridation.
That evening he emailed a health board staff member to see if that would be possible.
"What are you meant to do? ... I don't even think they had the presentation."
Mr Edmunds said the council was required to keep Ngapuhi involved and informed, and the runanga had requested the presentation.
But Fluoride Action Network member Mary Byrne, of Wellington, claimed the emails were evidence of "subterfuge".
She  said the Health Ministry had required a referendum, but the council had instead gone ahead with a survey and as a result  could refuse the group's request to appoint a scrutineer to oversee vote counting.
Mr Edmunds said there was no right of appointment of scrutineers but the council would arrange for  a Justice of the Peace to make an independent count.

 Ms Byrne said if the vote did not show a majority against fluoridation, the group would demand an independent vote in conjunction with October's local body election.
The results of the survey are expected next week.