2025 Wairoa candidates

Would you please advise with a simple yes or no – if you are elected, would you support pressuring the coalition Government to bring forward, and vote for, the Member’s Bill introduced by NZ First, which seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 so that decision making for fluoridation can be returned to the hands of each local council?

Sam Jackman

Yes

John Mallis

Yes, I do support this movement.

Here is my thought on Fluoridation experiment on drinking water:

Water fluoridation is being rolled out across New Zealand without the full, long-term consent of communities and without updated, independent health studies specific to our population. This makes it effectively a mass medical experiment. Unlike medicine prescribed by a doctor, people can’t choose their dose or opt out—yet fluoride is being added to drinking water for everyone, including babies, kaumātua, and people with health vulnerabilities.

For Wairoa, where whānau already face high costs for food, power, and healthcare, forcing a chemical into our water without choice undermines community rights, informed consent, and local decision-making. Public health solutions should be about education, prevention, and accessible dental care, not blanket experiments on whole towns.

Marino Harker-Smith

Stuart Harris

I’m fairly sensitive to chemicals and have always avoided diet products, as aspartame affects me noticeably. A few years ago, I decided to try fluoride-free toothpaste. Since then, my health has improved in several ways. I no longer drool at night or wake up with a sore throat. My skin is clearer, and I no longer experience sudden tooth pain.

I’ve generally lived in areas where the water was not fluoridated and relied on rain tank water from 2002 to 2013. These days, I use a water distiller and occasionally drink bottled water. While working in Thames recently, I started getting sore throats after drinking hot chocolate made with boiled tap water—something I hadn’t experienced in years.

My son, who is 100% unvaccinated and was raised on raw milk and tank water, has never had a cavity at age 22. We lived in Paeroa and Cambridge, where I was assured the water was fluoride-free.

I initially tried Red Seal toothpaste, then explored several Indian brands. I currently prefer Rozino and Xiaoks, which I order from Temu.

Pamela, Paeroa

Sore throat from fluoride – even the toothpaste