Whangārei councillors have been refusing to follow the directive to fluoridate the water. File photo. Photo: RNZ
Whangārei councillors are meeting later today to discuss their fluoridation stand-off with the Health Ministry.
Councillors voted late last year not to proceed with fluoridating the city's water supply, despite orders from the Director-General of Health.
The issue is now coming to a head with the first of the council's legal challenges due to be heard on Tuesday, and fluoride trials needing to start on Wednesday if the government's deadline is to be met.
The meeting was to have taken place behind closed doors last week - but will now be held in public from 2pm today at Te Iwitahi, the council headquarters on Rust Ave.
The meeting agenda shows councillors will be asked to revoke their earlier decision not to fluoridate the water supply - but also to be ready to immediately halt the work if Tuesday's court hearing goes their way.
The meeting was originally supposed to take place held last Tuesday, but a majority of councillors voted against holding the discussion during public exclusion.
Due to the three-day notice period for public meetings, today was the soonest the rescheduled meeting could take place.
The Health Ministry's deadline for fluoridation is 28 March, but council chief executive Simon Weston said "wet testing" of the newly installed fluoride equipment would take at least eight days.
That meant dosing would have to start by the morning of 19 March if the council was to have a chance of meeting the deadline.
The agenda also set out the potential costs, and risks to staff and councillors, if the council continued to defy the ministry's orders.
Asked about today's meeting, Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the most important thing was the council's upcoming court challenge.
"We have to abide by the law as much as possible, while at the same time giving our court case the best chance possible."
He said the meeting would be held entirely in public, unless councillors voted to discuss any specific matters in confidence.
Meanwhile, RNZ has obtained a letter sent to the mayor and councillors last week by Health New Zealand Te Tai Tokerau.
In the letter, operations director Alex Pimm and chief medial officer Jenny Walker implore the council to rethink its stance on fluoride.
They believed enforcing water fluoridation was "not an issue of infringing on personal freedom or choice", but "a matter of public health and the collective well-being of the community".
The acknowledged concerns about fluoride's safety, but said the levels used in public water systems - including those proposed for Whangārei and Bream Bay - were safe.
"We witness the devastating effects of dental decay, particularly in young children and special care patients who come through our services. Many require general anaesthesia for multiple tooth extractions, with some losing all their teeth. These patients endure severe pain, infections, and long-term health complications … Water fluoridation is a vital tool in preventing these issues," they wrote.
But New Zealand First leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is unconvinced fluoridation should be mandatory.
Last month he described ordering Whangārei to fluoridate its water supply as "a despotic Soviet-era disgrace".
Councillors voted 7-6 against adding fluoride to the water supply in November last year.
In February they voted to seek a "declaration proceeding" from the High Court, asking it to make a judgement on the safety, or otherwise, of fluoridation.
Councillors are also seeking an injunction, which is due to be heard in the High Court tomorrow.
If successful, that would put any action by the Health Ministry on hold until the outcome of the declaration proceeding is known.
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