Waitaki District Council said they welcome the directive to fluoridate the Ōamaru water supply. (File photo)
Water supplies in South Canterbury are not part of the Ministry of Health’s latest fluoridation directive but it seems only a matter of time before they are.
Fluoridation of water supplies can now be ordered by the Director-General of Health following the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act in 2021 which shifted decision-making on fluoridation away from local authorities like the Timaru, Waimate and Mackenzie district councils.
Neighbouring Waitaki District Council received such an directive from Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield on July 27 for its Ōamaru water supply which now must have it operating at optimal levels by June 30, 2024, before the water services are due to transfer in July 2024 under the current Government’s Three Waters plan.
Bloomfield’s order covered 14 councils, Whangārei, Western Bay of Plenty, Waitaki, Waipa, Tararua, New Plymouth, Kawerau, Horowhenua, Hastings and Far North district councils, along with Tauranga and Nelson city councils, Auckland council and Rotorua Lakes council.
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The director-general of health has said he would likely consider issuing further plans directing councils to fluoridate water later in this year.
Mackenzie District Council chief executive Angela Oosthuizen said they had been informed, that due to the small population of the district, they are not required to add fluoride as part of tranche one.
“However, we understand that this may change when tranche two is considered in 2024,” Oosthuizen said.
Waimate District Council asset group manager Dan Mitchell said Bloomfield had written to chief executive Stuart Duncan recently outlining the councils that had been instructed to add fluoride to various water supplies.
“The correspondence indicated that Waimate DC was not one of these councils and that future direction may be possible,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said council has, in the past, discussed the power that was granted to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to decree the fluoridation of water supplies.
“If I remember rightly, this was effectively welcomed in so far as reaching consensus to fluoridate or not with any community is very difficult.”
He said the issue of adding fluoride, or not, has not been directly discussed with council in his 10 years at council.
A Timaru District Council spokesperson said while they were not part of the first group asked to fluoridate, “it will have to follow any directive given to it by the MoH as we have to follow the law”.
The Waitaki council said it welcomed the directive “with fluoridation proven in its effectiveness to prevent tooth decay”.
“Data for children aged 0-12 in the SDHB (Southern District Health Board) from 2022 show that 32% of children had experienced tooth decay by age five.
“Māori and Pacific children have significantly worse outcomes with 46% of Māori children experiencing decay by aged 5.”
Waitaki said the 2017-2020 NZ Health Survey showed that 47.6% of those 15 plus in the Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Southern had one or more teeth removed in their lifetime due to decay, an abscess, infection, or gum disease.
The introduction of fluoride is expected to cost about $370,000 for the Ōamaru supply, and is estimated to benefit over 15,000 people.
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