NZ First wades into fluoridated waters
New Zealand First has launched a member’s bill that would return power to councils to decide whether or not to add fluoride to local drinking water. Stuff’s Karanama Ruru has the key details here, reporting that party leader Winston Peters said that public health measures should be decided with “transparency, debate, and local voices, not by overreaching Wellington-based bureaucrats”. Councils would have to hold a binding referendum before deciding whether or not to fluoridate. “The only people who would oppose this bill are those who oppose democracy” said Peters.
As a member’s bill, this isn’t government policy – it will need to be drawn out and debated and there’s no suggestion it will receive support from any other party in parliament. However, as we’ll get into below, it’s actually a rather topical issue (and it has little to do with the science, with a 2024 review of the current health settings in New Zealand reaffirming that community water fluoridation was a “safe and effective public health intervention”).
No change on the cards
As noted above, should this bill be drawn for debate in the current parliament, it won’t necessarily gain support from the other two parties in the coalition. The new health minister, Simeon Brown, told reporters yesterday that the existing legislation on fluoridation won’t change, while finance minister Nicola Willis said the science around fluoride was settled. “I want my kids teeth being in good nic, and I want that for every New Zealand child.” The Ministry of Health, too, has defended the existing health measures. A spokesperson told 1News there had been more than 60 years of research into fluoridation and experts endorsed it as a safe public health measure.
It seems unlikely, therefore, that the existing law is going to change anytime soon – though it’s worth remembering New Zealand First has argued for amending the rules on the basis of freedom of choice and not because of any health risks, even if some corners will be pushing that angle.
Original article online at: https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-bulletin/12-02-2025/why-fluoridation-is-back-in-the-spotlight