Taupo and Turangi Campaign
What we know about the current council (elected 2019)
| Councillor | Comments |
| Mayor David Trewavas | |
| John Boddy | |
| Anna Park | |
| Christine Rankin | |
| John Williamson | |
| Tangonui Kingi | |
| Kirsty Trueman |
How to become involved:
- URGENT: HELP STOP GOVT PROPOSAL FOR NATIONWIDE MANDATORY FLUORIDATION
- Sign up to receive Fluoride Free NZ Posts – see Subscribe via email on the right side of this page.
- Join the Fluoride Free Taupo & Turangi Facebook Page
- Donate a minimum of $5 per month to Fluoride Free NZ to help us fund an educational media campaign
- Contact your local coordinator and offer to help.
- Learn how to Access Fluoride Free Water
Sign the petition to Taupo District Council NOW!: Stop adding toxic fluoride chemicals to Lake Taupo, New Zealand immediately
No resource consent for toxic fluoride into Lake Taupo Friday 26 June 2015
Lake Taupo’s reputation as a pristine and protected environment is being contaminated by fluoride chemicals being flushed into Lake Taupo. Hydrofluorosilcic Acid is the toxic chemical that Taupo District Council uses to fluoridate Turangi’s public water supply. According to Point 12 of the safety data sheet under Ecological Information, it states: Ecotoxicity- Avoid contaminating waterways. It is even more revealing under Point 13 of the safety data sheet, where it states: Disposal methods – Dispose of material through a licensed waste contractor. Read more.
Below is Turangi’s stormwater map. The Green lines indicate the stormwater drains.
Taupo District Council has confirmed that Turangi’s stormwater either goes onto farmland or into the Hangarito stream. Hangarito stream feeds Lake Taupo.
Taupo District Council admit that fluoride chemicals are being added to Lake Taupo Monday 22 June 2015
Lake Taupo is one of the most pristine bodies of water in the world. Taupo District Council is charged with ensuring it remains that way. However, they have admitted that fluoride chemicals are not being removed in Turangi’s Waste Water Treatment Process and are being added to the Hangarito stream that feeds Lake Taupo. This is the first time that testing of the waste water for fluoride chemicals has been undertaken by Taupo District Council and only occurred after Fluoride Free NZ brought it to their attention. Read more.
Lake Taupo, New Zealand
Taupo and Turangi Fluoridation Information
Answers to these questions have been provided by Taupo District Council staff.
What was the outcome of the 2015 Long Term Plan on the fluoridation issue?
Council has signalled in the Long Term Plan 2015-25 that further discussion will be held with the community as part of the preparation of the 2018-28 Long Term Plan.
At this stage, there has been no decision as to the exact timing of this.
What parts of Taupo are fluoridated?
Taupo Council advise that all of Taupo is fluoridated, the boundary is where there is farm land between the edge of the town and the next village. So Jardine Mile off Acacia Bay Road is the boundary on the North Western edge and Victory Drive in the Wharewaka area is the Southern boundary. Acacia Bay has a separate water system from Taupo and does not get fluoridated.
Huka Lodge is part of the Taupo water scheme including Ranagtira park and Clearwater Lane. Also the Wairakei community is supplied from the Taupo Scheme but not the Warakei Resort.
The Taupo Motor sport park and the group of houses at the top end of Centenial Drive (opposite the horse race track) is not supplied by Taupo scheme.
Approximate map showing the edge of Taupo Township.
What parts of Kinloch are fluoridated?
Kinloch is not fluoridated.
What parts of Turangi are fluoridated?
The whole town is supplied by the fluoridated water scheme including north of the bridge and also Rangipo prision. To the South it includes Tokaanu village but not Waihi Village.
What fluoride chemicals are used to fluoridate Taupo and Turangi’s water supply?
IXOM (formerly Orica) supplies Hydrofluorosilicic Acid H2SiF6 to Taupo Council to fluoridate.
What level is Taupo and Turangi fluoridated at?
Turangi is fluoridated at 0.7ppm. See Taupo District Council sample results.
Where is the waste water for Taupo and Turangi discharged?
The Taupo WWTP effluent is discharged onto two irrigation farms at Rakaunui rd and View rd.
The Turangi WWTP is a lot higher treated standard and is discharged to Hangarito stream that feeds Lake Taupo.
Fluoride is not something that we are targeting to remove in the WWTP process.
Does the discharge from Turangi that goes into the Hangarito stream contain fluoride chemicals from the fluoridation process?
Yes, there are fluoride chemicals from the fluoridation process being added to the water supply.
These are the fluoride results to date;
10/06/15: 1506028-16 (Turangi PC) Fluoride = 0.437mg/L
16/06/15: 1506054-16 (Turangi PC) Fluoride = 0.479mg/L
This is the first time this analysis has been completed by TDC. “obviously we have no other data to compare to as we have not done these analyses before”
What is the natural level of fluoride in the Turangi water supply (before fluoridation)?
Below are the results for the back ground levels of fluoride in the source water for the Turangi WTP. These are only tested once annually.
04/07/2011 0.07ppm
24/07/2012 0.05ppm
18/07/2013 0.06ppm
28/07/2014 0.06ppm
Is there a Resource consent for the discharge of fluoridation chemicals into the Hangarito stream?
This is under control of the regional council. See the resource consent here for:
Turangi – Turangi wastewater discharge resource consent 102927 (A370939) (1)
Taupo Consent 1 – Taupo View Road land Disposal RC 116596
Taupo Consent 2 – Taupo WWTP wastewater discharge consent RC 930464
Can you provide the section of the consent that permits?
There is no section of the consent.
Is there a Resource Consent held by Taupo District Council to add Hydrofluorosilicic Acid to the Taupo or Turangi water supplies?
There is no resource consent held for adding Hydrofluorosilicic acid to the Taupo or Turangi water supplies, and according to TDC nor is one required to be held.
OIA answers received from Taupo District Council 19 May 2015
Please find the responses in red below and include both Taupō and Turangi
How much per annum is spent on Hydrofluorosilicic acid?
Approximately $2,600/yr
How much per annum is spent on implementing water fluoridation?
Approximately $5,380/yr
How much per annum is spent on testing the levels of water fluoridation?
Approximately $2,500/yr
How much does it cost per Tonne of Hydrofluorosilicic Acid?
$762/1,000 Litres
How many Tonne of Hydrofluorosilicic Acid is added into Taupo and Turangi’s shared environment?
Approximately between 3.5 – 4 Tonne of Acid is added to the shared water supplies.
Taupo 3 – 3.5 Tonne
Turangi Approx. .5 Tonne
How frequent is the levels of fluoride in the water tested?
The fluoride is tested continuously with online analysers and displayed and recorded on the Telemetry computer. TDC operators regularly check these analysers and calibrate them when needed.
Who performs the testing?
Weekly samples are collected by TDC operators and a sample is sent to Hills Laboratory for independent testing and another sample is tested by our operators weekly
What were the number of submissions received by Taupo District Council in the 2015 LTP?
37 submissions. 35 Opposed to fluoridation. 2 For fluoridation. 1 of the for fluoridation was from the local DHB.
Approximately half of the submissions opposed were from Taupo/Turangi and the other half was from outside Taupo/Turangi.
A number of local residents presented to Taupo District Council.
No local professionals presented as individuals to continue fluoridation.
When did fluoridation begin in Taupo and has there been any public consultation since beginning?
Fluoridation was voted to include in the water 24/11/1958 by council and eventually started after the build and sourcing of product in 01/12/1965.
From a search of our records, there does not appear to be any further special consultation such as a referendum or tribunal.
TBC Minutes 24 November 1958 showing the details of the initiation of fluoridation.
OIA Question raised with Taupo District Council on 14 May 2015
What information was included in the ‘genuine study by Councillors and Council staff of pertinent data relating to the benefits and the negatives of Fluoride being added to TDC reticulated water schemes’.
Answer
Fluoride was not identified as an issue in the draft Long Term Plan – staff did not undertake a study nor provide any information technical or otherwise relating to fluoride for Council to consider prior to or during deliberations on the 2015 LTP.
Original email from Councillor
“Good afternoon
I received the email from the website asking why I am not pushing for a public meeting on the Fluoride issue.
The reasons for this are varied however the primary driver for this is that as a group of elected officials we have already investigated the issue through our Long Term Plan process.
As part of that overall discussion, we deliberated on the Fluoride topic which was formulated around a public submission process.
The considerations we undertook were based upon:
· A large number of out of town submissions – all asking for the removal of Fluoride.
· A small number of locals who presented to Council asking for the same.
· A number of submissions supporting its retention by professionals and lay people alike.
· A Councillor understanding that the appetite amongst the community for change on the whole remains nominal.
· A genuine study by Councillors and Council staff of pertinent data relating to the benefits and the negatives of Fluoride being added to TDC reticulated water schemes
As a result of these deliberations, the Council passed a resolution [unanimously I believe] to keep the status quo and as such Fluoride will remain in our water supplies for the foreseeable future.
Submitters will be asked in 3 years time to re-submit their concerns and the process will recommence at that time to check the pulse of the community.
This may not be what the right decision for you [name withheld] however it is the result of some serious consideration by my fellow elected members and it is one that is not taken lightly.
Please do let me know if I can be of any further help,
Regards”
Letter to the editor by Lynda Brown, Taupo Times, 3 March 2015.
Taupo Debate/Discussion on fluoridation
Below are the details of an exchange between local Taupo dentist Dr Nick Wilcox, Fluoride Free NZ and Dr William Hirzy to organize the holding of an open transparent public debate of the fluoridation of Taupo and Turangi’s water supply.
Originally Dr Nick Wilcox agreed to hold an openly transparent discussion of fluoridation but later reneged on this offer after speaking with the NZDA.
Dr William Hirzy responds to Taupo Dentist, Dr Nick Wilcox’s Retreat from an Open Public Discussion of Water Fluoridation.
Taupo Dentist, Dr Nick Wilcox’s Email responding to the organisation of an Open Public Discussion of Water Fluoridation.
Fluoride Free NZ’s Kane Titchener emails Taupo Councillors requesting that a openly transparent discussion/debate is held on fluoridation.
Taupo Fluoridation Presentation
At 7pm on Wednesday the 25th of February 2015, at the Great Lake Centre Fluoride Free Taupo welcomed Prof Paul Connett, of the Fluoride Action Network, and Dr William Hirzy to Taupo to present on fluoridation. See the Facebook Event Page.
Dr Paul Connett and Dr William Hirzy Speaking Tour 2015
Presentation Powerpoints
Prof Paul Connett’s presentation in Taupo.
The Case Against Fluoridation. Taupo 25 February 2015
Dr William Hizy’s presentation in Taupo.
Fluoride and Children’s IQ Decrements – IQ Risk Assessment 26.2.15
Radio Ad for the Event
Posters for the Event
Print the A3 pdf: Taupo FFNZ A3 Taupo Poster
Print the A4 pdf: Taupo FFNZ A4 Taupo Poster
Print the pdf: Taupo FFNZ A5 BW Taupo Flyer
Check out the advertising for the Event
Read Dr Paul Connett’s book held in the Taupo Library.
Fluoride Free NZ Launches the Taupo Campaign
Fluoride Free NZ held a very successful opening to the Taupo and Turangi ‘End fluoridation Campaign’ on Saturday 15 November at 4pm. Rotary House, 12 Storey Place, Taupo.
