Pip Abernethy Priestley has been lobbying for fluoride to go back into New Plymouth’s water and is very happy this is now going to happen.
Campaigners have welcomed the Government’s decision to order New Plymouth District Council to reintroduce fluoride to its water supplies after an absence of more than a decade.
On Wednesday, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told 14 local authorities, including NPDC, to make the move.
It was the first time this power has been used to establish a national approach to water fluoridation, and was hailed by New Plymouth grandmother Pip Abernethy Priestley.
Only the previous evening she had attended a meeting of the district council and, during a public forum, urged councillors to reintroduce fluoride.
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Abernethy Priestley said Bloomfield’s announcement was “fabulous news for those of us who wanted this for a long time”.
She has a 6-year-old grandson who is severely autistic, and says fluoride would help children like him and those living in poverty to have better teeth.
“It’s good that it doesn’t have to go back to the council table to be decided.”
New Plymouth controversially ditched fluoride from its water supplies in 2011, which Taranaki Dental Association president Dr David Antunovic said was a fail for the council.
‘’We’d had fluoride for 40 years and had good results, so why was it pulled out? There was no reason to remove it. The council relented to quackery over science.’’
The association was thrilled with Bloomfield’s announcement, he said.
‘’It’s a very good decision.’’
Prior to 2021, the decision on whether to fluoridate water was in the hands of individual councils.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Stuff
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has directed New Plymouth District Council to put fluoride into its water supply.
But the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 shifted the decision to the director-general of health.
The time each local authority has to fluoridate their water supply varies between six months and three years, depending on the circumstances of the supply.
NPDC three waters manager Mark Hall said the council had been instructed to add fluoride to the New Plymouth water supply by July 31 next year.
‘’This supply is for all connected properties between Omata and Urenui. We’ll be installing temporary dosing equipment as we will be undertaking an upgrade to the plant in five years at which time permanent dosing equipment will be installed.’’
The cost of the temporary equipment is around $120,000 and will come from within existing budgets, Hall said in an emailed statement.
“The Ministry is starting with larger supply networks around the country. They’ll review the need for fluoridation of smaller water networks, such as our ones for Inglewood, Oākura, Ōkato, at a later date.’’
Previously Hall has said putting in the infrastructure for Inglewood, Oakura or Okato, would cost around $100,000 for each.
“Fluoride has no flavour, so people won’t notice any difference in their drinking water,” he added.
Adding fluoride to the additional water supplies would increase the number of New Zealanders receiving fluoridated water by 9%, from 51% to about 60%.
The most recent New Zealand Oral Health Survey (2009) found children and adolescents had 40% less tooth decay in areas with fluoridated water supplies.
In June 2018 South Taranaki District Council won a landmark legal fight to add fluoride to the water supply in Patea and Waverley.
South Taranaki District Council decided to add fluoride in December 2012. Stratford District Council’s water is also fluoridated.
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