Following the initial directive received from the Ministry of Health via the Director-General of Health, and the subsequent project to install infrastructure, fluoridation in our drinking water became effective from October 1, 2024.
The Ministry of Health initially advised Council it will need to start adding fluoride to the water as per the directive on 22 July 2022. The project to install the fluoridation system was funded by the Ministry of Health which had granted Council an extenion to get the work completed up until September 30, 2024. This was completed and the Ministry of Health has fully funded the project of $457,980 for this work. Council appreciates that there are different views in the community about fluoridation, albeit Council cannot risk the $200,000 fine (and subsequent $10,000 per day fine) to go against this directive. This means fluoridation in our drinking water will be effective from October 1, 2024.
Please note, the public drinking water taps in River Road will remain chlorine and fluoride free as the water has been taken from the source, treated via ultra violet (UV) and is then available at the taps. The public drinking water taps at the New World Kawerau carpark have filters that currently take out the chorine only.
