Fourteen councils have been ordered to fluoridate some or all of their drinking water. Who is following the order and who’s fighting back? Local Democracy Reporting takes a look.
Deadlines are fast approaching for councils who must fluoridate their drinking water supplies or face a hefty fine.
That’s caused anger in some places with one mayor claiming he’ll go to prison rather than follow the order.
In 2022, then Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield issued the fluoride directive to 14 councils.
Of those, five councils are yet to start fluoridating their water supplies: Far North District, Rotorua Lakes District, Waipa District, Western Bay of Plenty District and Whangārei District.
Whangārei District Council is locked in a stalemate with health officials as it refuses to fluoridate Whangārei and Bream Bay water supplies ahead of its March 28 deadline.
Two of the councils have passed their deadline, but say they are working towards fluoridation, while the other two still have time up their sleeve.
Legal threats and defiance
Whangārei District Council’s refusal to fluoridate has sparked a war of words with health officials.
Earlier this month, Director General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati threatened to potentially pull rank and force the city’s fluoride switch if the council continued in its defiance.
In response, the council reaffirmed its position not to fluoridate at a February 12 meeting, in a 7-7 vote. The mayor cast the deciding vote.
Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo told Local Democracy Northland that his council was resisting for two reasons: For democracy reasons and questions around the safety of fluoride.
Cocurullo said he would go to prison over the principle of democratic freedom and the community being able to make its own fluoridation choice.
Sarfati has since resigned from her role, which the deputy director-general of health said was unrelated to the fluoride directives.
Which councils have passed their deadline?
Councils under directives were all issued different deadlines, with some granted extensions.
The Far North District Council was given a June 2024 deadline. A request for an extension was refused last year.
Far North District Council Head of Infrastructure Tanya Proctor said a preliminary design for delivering fluoridated water was submitted to the Ministry of Health (MoH) just prior to their deadline.
“This design is awaiting sign off by MoH. It is not possible to proceed with detailed design for construction until approval has been confirmed.”
The next steps for fluoridating the Far North’s Kaitāia and Kerikeri water supplies is dependent on the approval, she said.
“The council is following the advice of the Director General of Health and is actively working with MoH to progress the works.”
Waipa District Council is also working to upgrade their Cambridge water supply after passing their July 2023 deadline.
Dawn Inglis, the council’s Group Manager Service Delivery, said the design, costings and approvals for the fluoridate upgrade will be completed by the end of June 2025, and construction is due to begin in the 2025-26 financial year.
“The project is expected to take until mid-2026 to complete, and we will keep Cambridge residents well informed of the timing and details.”
While the original compliance date was in 2023, there was no funding agreement in place at that time and the design process has been complex, she said.
“We’d like to reiterate that Waipā District Council had no role in making the decision to fluoridate.”
Who are the other two councils?
Rotorua Lakes District Council has a deadline of March 28 to fluoridate Rotorua Central and East water supplies, and plans to vote on whether it will comply on March 26.
The Western Bay of Plenty has until July to begin fluoridating Athenree and Wharawhara water supplies.
Councils face the risk of a $200,000 fine per plant for failing to comply, followed by $10,000 for each day of non-compliance. So far, no fines have been issued.
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said these fines are imposed by the Courts, not by the Ministry.
“The Ministry will consider whether prosecutions should be commenced on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Solicitor-General’s Prosecution Guidelines.”
Health Minister backs fluoride as ‘safe, effective’
Anti-fluoride campaigners are concerned fluoride is harmful to health and say it violates the right to consent to medical treatments.
NZ First is proposing a Member’s Bill that would mandate local authorities to hold a binding referendum on water fluoridation.
Winston Peters, NZ First leader, has also stepped into the debate, saying mandating Whangārei District Council fluoridation is a “despotic Soviet-era disgrace”.
Minister of Health Simeon Brown recently confirmed the Government’s stance – that fluoridation is a “safe, effective and affordable measure for improving oral health”.
Chief oral health adviser Dr Riana Clark also spoke to a council workshop recently after protesters raised concerns about the health effects of fluoride.
Most studies showing negative outcomes were from countries where fluoride naturally occurred in very high levels, she said.
“All of the evidence we’ve been collecting for about 70 years on water fluoridation hasn’t been usurped by these new papers,” Clarke told a Rotorua Lakes Council workshop. “We’ve been watching very carefully.”
So who is following the fluoride directive?
Of the councils who were under the fluoride directive, nine councils have begun or partially begun fluoridating one or more of their supplies:
These are: Kawerau District Council, Hastings District Council, Horowhenua District Council, New Plymouth District Council, Nelson City Council, Auckland Council, Tararua District Council, Waitaki District Council and Tauranga City Council.
Approximately half of New Zealanders already have access to fluoridated drinking water, according to the Ministry of Health
Could more councils face directives?
The attention could eventually turn to 27 other local authorities where the ministry has been considering additional fluoride directives.
This includes water supplies in the Far North, Taupō, Whanganui, Queenstown, Timaru and Blenheim.
Before her resignation, Safariti said health officials were taking more time to consider the impact of several wider factors, including reform across the water services sector, before making a decision.
And as for Whangārei, the mayor has vowed to continue to fight against the fluoridation directive.
“This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country,” the Whangārei mayor told LDR Northland.
Deputy Director-General of Health Dr Andrew Old said they will continue to work with Whangārei District Council to encourage its compliance.
By Marika Hill for Local Democracy Reporting
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.