The government has announced a new bill to take the power to decide on water fluoridation away from local councils. Photo / File
The government has announced a new bill to take the power to decide on water fluoridation away from local councils. Photo / File
The question of whether or not to fluoridate the country's water is once again in the spotlight after the government announced it intends to remove the right of local councils make the decision about their own water supplies.
Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall last week announced that the government willbe amending the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill to give the director general of Health the sole ability to decide on water fluoridation across the country.
Currently, local councils hold the power to decide on water fluoridation, with close to 60 per cent of New Zealand's population living in fluoridated water zones.
In Whanganui, the district's water supply has never been fluoridated, despite heated discussions, particularly in the mid-2000s.
In 2006, a referendum was conducted within the district, with a 74 per cent majority voting against a proposal to fluoridate the district's water supply.
Mayor Hamish McDouall said that result formed the basis of the council's approach to the issue and it hasn't been revisited recently.
Mayor Hamish McDouall said he is in favour of the law change, on the basis that any decision made relating to fluoride is made in consultation with the community. Photo / File
"I can honestly say it's never been discussed at the council table since I've been mayor," he said.
McDouall said he was open to the idea of the addition of fluoride to the district's water supply on the basis there is adequate consultation.
"I think as long as the community voice is heard. I can't imagine it would be an executive order that Ashley Bloomfield just signs," he said.
"As long as it's discussed with the District Health Board, I can't see any reason to oppose it."
In South Taranaki, fluoride has been a hot topic of discussion for almost a decade, after a challenge to the council's 2012 plans to introduce fluoride to the water supply in Waverley and Pātea made it to the Supreme Court.
The legal challenge launched by an anti-fluoride group failed, and the council finally added fluoride to the water supply of Waverley last year. Pātea is still awaiting fluoride.
South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon told the Chronicle the law change was a positive step forward, and will save local authorities across the country not only money, but the controversy that goes with the issue.
"It just actually standardises things. It puts it into one place and it's a logical thing to do. I'm pretty excited about it," the first-term mayor said.
"There's always with these sort of things contention with some people, but I've had no negative feedback whatsoever."
Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said with a relatively fresh council there hadn't been any recent discussion on the issue.
Rangitīkei does not have fluoridated water and Watson believed the decision should remain with councillors but based on sound health advice.
"When it has cropped up, the view of councillors has been that this isn't a council matter, this is a DHB-type governmental decision. That's been the view of councillors," he said.
"But I would prefer to see that the final decision rest with council on advice from health officials, but I'm very aware that it is a very significant issue for a number of councils."
Meanwhile, Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie, a former Manawatu mayor, said while he supported the bill in principle, there were concerns such as the burden of cost on councils being ordered to stump up the cash for fluoride infrastructure.
Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie said he personally supported the change, but there were some concerns around cost. Photo / File
"Under the current regime, it adds a whole lot of cost to the council budget without effectively giving them anything in return. From a local perspective, it could be a little bit costly.
"But even under the original [2016 National Party] proposal, it was always going to be a little difficult to implement because effectively you've got the health ministry telling councils what to do, and to spend their own money to do it."
McKelvie said that personally, he agrees with the government's proposal and that he believes the National Party will support the move.
National's health spokesperson Shane Reti told RNZ last week that the party hadn't yet decided on its position on the government proposal.
Fluoride 'very necessary'
Whanganui dentist Adam Durning said fluoridation of water was a positive thing but valid concerns do exist.
"There are only two components that make up your teeth - fluoride and calcium. That's it," Durning explained.
"Yes, there are valid concerns about fluoride in drinking water. Fluoride is a strong chemical in any environment, although it's very, very necessary for our teeth."
Durning said water was one of the most effective methods of consuming fluoride and there were concerns that the people who needed fluoride the most weren't necessarily drinking enough water themselves.
"From my perspective, it's really good if we're drinking lots of water. That's what we're trying to push from a dentist perspective is to drink water. There's no better way to get it to us in those concentrations through water."
Whanganui MP Steph Lewis, Te Tai Hauāuru MP Adrian Rurawhe and Te Tai Hauāuru-based Māori Party List MP Debbie Ngarewa-Packer were contacted for comment.
