News Archive

The Hutt City Council have published a warning on their web site today that fluoridated water may not be safe for bottle-fed babies, especially, and children up to four years old. The Fluoride Action Network (FANNZ) applauds the council for providing this important health information to parents. This follows the issue of the same warning […]

Forty-nine percent of voters in the Southland, Central Otago and South Otago districts are against water fluoridation, results from a non-biding referendum have shown. When voters in Central Otago and parts of Southland and South Otago opened their local election ballot papers last month, they were also given a chance to take part in a […]

On October 18, 2007, the Waitaki District Council released the results of the fluoridation referendum held in four Wards on October 13, 2007. Prior to the election the Council circulated information “For” and “Against” adding fluoride to public water supplies – see links below. The following are the official results released by the Waitaki District […]

FLUORIDATION and plans for a petition have thrown at least one Rotorua district councillor into a spin just days out from the local body election. Bob Martin, who is seeking re-election in the North Ward, is angry Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick has reignited the fluoride debate by announcing she plans to organise a petition. The […]

A secondary school principal says the absence of fluoride in Rotorua’s water supply is a form of child abuse. John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said he was disgusted to hear how bad Rotorua’s dental problem was at a meeting between primary and secondary school principals and dental health experts. Rotorua has the worst dental […]

A decision in the 1950s making local authorities responsible for fluoridating water supplies won’t be changing overnight, according to public health officials. Dr Robin Whyman, the Ministry of Health’s chief oral health adviser says it could take a Parliamentary bill to change existing legislation and more debate was needed before that would happen. Debate over […]

Rotorua people will not get their say on whether they want fluoride in their water. Rotorua District councillors last night voted 7-6 against holding a referendum during the local body elections later this year. Eastside residents will also not have their water chlorinated after councillors voted against it. Water was the subject of two heated […]

Rotorua could have its say on whether to fluoridate the city’s water in this year’s local body elections. A referendum may be held in October. If it goes ahead, it’s unclear whether the results would be binding. Submissions on fluoridation were heard by Rotorua district councillors during annual plan hearings in May. Among them was […]

The Southland and Otago district health boards are calling on the public to decide whether fluoride should be added to Southland district’s drinking water to improve oral health. Otago District Health Board chief executive Brian Rousseau said the health boards were aiming to have a referendum as part of Southland District Council local body elections […]

The group which campaigned against the fluoridation of Ashburton’s water supply is delighted with the town’s majority vote against fluoridation. Fluoride was withdrawn in 2002 following a public campaign, but health officials were seeking to reinstate it, citing rising tooth decay rates. But in a binding referendum on the issue, 55 percent of over 7,000 […]