Published on 26 November 2024
Waitaki District Council has received a response from the Director-General of Health regarding the fluoridation of the Oamaru Supply.
The Chief Executive wrote to the Director-General of Health earlier this year, following a resolution by the Mayor and Councillors to request that Waitaki District Council not be subject to penalty if fluoridation is ceased until the ongoing judicial review process is complete.
The Director-General of Health has reiterated that the High Court has found the directions to fluoridate remain valid on both 16 February and 24 May 2024, as previously outlined in her letter of 5 July 2024.
They also state, regarding the penalties for failing to fluoridate: “It would be inappropriate and possibly unlawful for the Ministry to constrain its enforcement through private contract. The Ministry is not permitted to fetter its discretion to prosecute through private arrangements and must not act inconsistently with the purposes of the Health Act 1956 and Solicitor-General’s Prosecution Guidelines. The Ministry’s responsibility is to uphold the public interest when exercising its regulatory function.”
Waitaki District Council paused the fluoridation of its supply in early-October to recalibrate its dosing equipment and analyser. We are awaiting our contractors availability to ensure that fluoridation of water is at an optimal 0.8mg/L. The Director-General of Health has recognised that this fluoridation pause is necessary to ensure the safe delivery of water and fulfilment of the directive and will not incur penalties.
Letter-from-Dr-Sarfati-dated-20-November-2024.pdf(PDF, 1MB)
ENDS