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?
Alison Short
Personally no I would not support lobbying central government to repeal the Health Act around fluoridation of drinking water and bringing the legal responsibility back to local government. T
he majority of councillors across Aotearoa NZ are neither health clinicians or scientists.
Putting the legal responsibility on them to decide whether water should be treated by any process eg. fluoridation, chlorination is in my view both unfair and unwise.
Few councillors would have qualifications in this field. I certainly do not so would abstain from making such a decision if asked, on these grounds.
As you know Taumata Arowai is the drinking water regulator and takes its advice on fluoridation from Te Whatu Ora.
While some ratepayers do not want their drinking water fluoridated, many do.
As mentioned our council is doing its best to meet the needs of those who don’t by installing a fluoride free tap at the new bore.
This is being done at some cost, but still cheaper than the council breaching the legislation and being fined or other serious risk management consequences.