Independent inquiry into Wellington's fluoride failure delayed

Fluoride was turned off to parts of the Wellington region last year without residents being told. Photo / 123RF

An independent inquiry into why Wellington Water turned off fluoridation last year without telling residents has been delayed.

Wellington Water board chairwoman Lynda Carroll said the initial expectation was that Doug Martin of MartinJenkins would have completed the inquiry by the end of this month.

The findings were scheduled to be released shortly afterwards, however this has now been delayed until early July.

"We have since been advised there are some interviews with key external parties that Mr Martin still needs to complete, which will cause a slight delay to the completion of the report," Carroll said.

"I want to assure the public that this delay has had no impact on the work to restore fluoride and that Wellington Water continues to work at pace to safely restore fluoride at the Te Marua and Gear Island water treatment plants."

Yesterday Greater Wellington Regional Council approved $6 million to restore fluoride to residents and upgrade facilities.

The money will fund two new fluoride facilities to be located at Te Marua and Gear Island treatment plants.

As of early May, Jenkins had completed 30 interviews and reviewed more than 400 documents as part of the inquiry.

He was commissioned to review events that resulted in Wellington Water stopping fluoridation at the two water treatment plants, and why the organisation didn't communicate this in a timely and accurate manner.

"The inquiry is a vital step in understanding how this situation occurred. While the delay is not ideal, it's important we get this right. This takes time and the board is prepared to accept a small delay in the interests of receiving an in-depth report and recommendations," Carroll said.

"This inquiry is very important to Wellington Water as it will provide us with clarity on next steps and provide the public with assurance that this situation will not occur again."