Whangārei District Council votes 7-6 against adding fluoride to water supply

Councillors in Whangārei have voted not to fluoridate the district's water. Photo / iStock

By Jessica Hopkins - RNZ

Whangārei District Council has voted to reject the Ministry of Health’s directive to add fluoride to its water supply.

After over an hour’s discussion in front of a packed public gallery on Thursday, councillors voted seven to six, with one abstaining, to halt fluoridation plans.

Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo, deputy mayor Phil Halse, and councillors Jayne Golightly, Phoenix Ruka, Marie Olsen, and Simon Reid supported the motion put forward by councillor Gavin Benney.

Councillor Deborah Harding abstained from voting.

WDC was one of 14 councils identified as the most high-risk for dental disease and required to fluoridate its water by March 2025 under a directive from former director general of health Sir Ashley Bloomfield in 2022.

Cocurullo said the WDC had been warned it would be fined $200,000 if it failed to fluoridate and an additional $10,000 per day it ignored the directive after the deadline.

“We are asking the Government to work with us.

“We have made our concerns very clear. We have listened to our community and that is why the vote was the way it was.

“It will be up to them to decide how they want to progress with this.”

The mayor said he would be writing to the Ministry of Health, Health Minister Shane Reti, and the Government advising them of the council’s decision.

He believed adding fluoride to the water supply would not help the district’s dental health problems. Educating people about good hygiene and eating a balanced diet from a young age was a better way to improve oral health, he said.

Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo. Photo / NZME

“Within our community we have people who don’t drink water and haven’t been taught proper hygiene when brushing their teeth.

“I’ve seen many young mums with juice, Coca-Cola, and Fanta in their children’s milk bottles.

“That’s more of an issue and it’s actually a systemic problem for the whole of New Zealand as well as Northland.”

Councillor Scott McKenzie said the council should not be challenging the directive.

“I don’t see council having the authority to make that decision. It’s a directive that the council is legally obliged to comply with.”

He was concerned about the council having to pay out of pocket for new fluoridation infrastructure.

The Government agreed to pay over $4.5m for infrastructure that had already been installed into the district’s water plant, he said. The council had received half the payment, but getting the rest of the money was dependant on following the directive.

“The decision means the council will likely have to find $2.28 million in unbudgeted funding.”

A spokeswoman for Fluoride Free, a group against fluoridation, praised the decision.

Mary Byrne and WDC councillors cited recent court rulings in the United States as justification for their concerns about fluoride in water.

“Councillors who voted to stop it stood up for the community in the threat of huge fines,” Byrne said.

Dental Association president Amanda Johnston said she was disappointed by the outcome.

Community water fluoridation, as well as fluoridated toothpaste, brushing teeth, and reducing sugar consumption, were safe and effective tools to prevent tooth decay, she said.

The Whangārei dentist said Northland had a dire state of oral health and needed all the help it could get.

“We’ve got children, and aged care residents with teeth decaying - the entire population actually.

“We know people in low socio-economic areas are more prone to having dental decay and are less able to access treatment when they need it.

“This decision will mean the burden of disease will continue for those who can’t afford to treat it.”