Fluoride to be added to Levin and Ōhau water supply

Fluoride will be added to the Levin and Ōhau water supply from Tuesday. Photo / Unsplash

Fluoride will be added to the Levin and Ōhau drinking water supply from Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

In July 2022, 14 local authorities, including Horowhenua District Council, were directed by the director-general of health to add fluoride to their water supplies.

The Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Bill passed in the Beehive in November 2021, removed the decision for water fluoridation away from councils to the director-general of health, because it is a medical issue.

Fluoridation is considered safe by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation and it is seen as an effective and affordable public health measure to improve oral health.

In November 2023, a High Court judgment questioned whether the direction to fluoridate water considered the Bill of Rights. The director-general of health and the Attorney General have appealed the High Court decision, and a hearing on the matter is scheduled to take place in June 2025.

Fluoride will be added at the Levin water treatment plant on Gladstone Rd, initially at 0.2-0.3 parts per million (ppm) and gradually increasing to 0.7-1.0 ppm by 19 December 2024.

The ministry is fully funding the $900,000 cost of installing fluoridation equipment at the Levin water treatment plant.

A statement from Horowhenua District Council states the council is aware some people are concerned about fluoride.

“To address these concerns, residents will be able to get fluoride- and chlorine-free water from a dedicated tap at the water treatment plant, from Tuesday, November 19 onwards.”