Review to add or not to add fluoride to water
Erika Whittome made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health
Response to this request is long overdue. By law Ministry of Health should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.
From: Erika Whittome
Dear Ministry of Health,
I am requesting information from the Director-General of Health on fluoride currently added to drinking water in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand under the Fluoridation Of Drinking Water Amendment Act 2021.
Section 116C says: The purpose of this Part is to—
(a)
enable the Director-General to direct a local authority to add fluoride or not to add fluoride to drinking water supplied through its local authority supply; and
(4)
For the purpose of subsection (3)(b)(i), the Director-General may take into account any evidence that the Director-General considers relevant.
RF Kennedy on 10 April 2025 at the US cabinet meeting (at 38 minutes) said:
“…We are working at HHS to advance your agenda to make America healthy again I'm working with Lee Zelden on to reassess the fluoride rules based upon the August release by the National Toxicity Program of new science that shows a direct inverse correlation between exposure to fluoride and IQ loss particularly in children . Lee and in we’re in Utah this week and Utah announced the Utah became the first state in the country to ban supplemental fluoride. “
The August release referred to from the National Toxicology Program is https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/publications/m...
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/sites/default/...
1. Please share the review conducted of this August 2024 report.
2. Please share any subsequent reviews since August 2024 of scientific evidence for and against fluoride as per section 116C of (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021
Yours faithfully,
Erika Whittome
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora Erika,
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 12 April 2025. You requested:
"I am requesting information from the Director-General of Health on
fluoride currently added to drinking water in Auckland and other parts of
New Zealand under the Fluoridation Of Drinking Water Amendment Act 2021.
Section 116C says: The purpose of this Part is to—
(a) enable the Director-General to direct a local authority to add
fluoride or not to add fluoride to drinking water supplied through its
local authority supply; and
(4) For the purpose of subsection (3)(b)(i), the Director-General may
take into account any evidence that the Director-General considers
relevant.
RF Kennedy on 10 April 2025 at the US cabinet meeting (at 38 minutes)
said:
“…We are working at HHS to advance your agenda to make America healthy
again I'm working with Lee Zelden on to reassess the fluoride rules based
upon the August release by the National Toxicity Program of new science
that shows a direct inverse correlation between exposure to fluoride and
IQ loss particularly in children . Lee and in we’re in Utah this week and
Utah announced the Utah became the first state in the country to ban
supplemental fluoride. “
The August release referred to from the National Toxicology Program is
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
url=https%3A%2F%2Fntp.niehs.nih.gov%2Fpublications%2Fmonographs%2Fmgraph08&data=05%7C02%7Coiagr%40health.govt.nz%7C5133d46a0f7143467d2908dd7929a35a%7C23cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7C0%7C0%7C638799941961396922%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8D%2B4HLlG79XiA7dx%2BnOdmPLvdTVjWPSXA%2BSqRzPfrlE%3D&reserved=0
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
1. Please share the review conducted of this August 2024 report.
2. Please share any subsequent reviews since August 2024 of scientific
evidence for and against fluoride as per section 116C of (Fluoridation
of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021"
The reference number for your request is H2025065288. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was received:
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/.
If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([1][email address]).
Ngā mihi
OIA Services Team
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From: OIA Requests
Kia ora Erika,
Please find attached the response for your request for official
information.
Ngā mihi
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora
M[1]inistry of Health information releases
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attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
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From: Erika Whittome
Dear OIA Requests,
I requested the information on "drinking water" which is what is specified in the act:
Section 116C The purpose of this Part is to—
(a)enable the Director-General to direct a local authority to add fluoride or not to add fluoride to drinking water...
I was not asking about the entire water supply, just the drinking water.
The Ministry’s consideration are of the whole water supply, not the drinking water on the website you shared
www.health.govt.nz/information-releases/...
water-fluoridation-under-the-new-zealand-bill.
Would you kindly provide the information on the drinking water only as requested. I am actually concerned about the whole water supply containing a medical treatment when the skin is able absorb chemicals making the administration of the fluoride in the entire water supply not only orally administered, but also transdermally administered.
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
From: OIA Requests
Kia ora Erika
Thank you for your follow up email on 21 May 2025.
As stated in response to your OIA request on 9 May 2025 (H2025065288
refers), the Ministry’s consideration of recent publications relating to
community water fluoridation can be found via this link:
[1]www.health.govt.nz/information-releases/director-general-of-health-consideration-of-community-water-fluoridation-under-the-new-zealand-bill.
The Ministry can confirm that there is no further information to provide.
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [2][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.
Ngâ mihi
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatû Hauora
M[3]inistry of Health information releases
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Erika Whittome <[FOI #30696 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 21 May 2025 11:06
To: OIA Requests <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Response to your official information act request – Ref
H2025065288 CRM:0001425
Dear OIA Requests,
I requested the information on "drinking water" which is what is
specified in the act:
Section 116C The purpose of this Part is to—
(a)enable the Director-General to direct a local authority to add fluoride
or not to add fluoride to drinking water...
I was not asking about the entire water supply, just the drinking water.
The Ministry’s consideration are of the whole water supply, not the
drinking water on the website you shared
[4]www.health.govt.nz/information-releases/director-general-of-health-consideration-of-community
water-fluoridation-under-the-new-zealand-bill.
Would you kindly provide the information on the drinking water only as
requested. I am actually concerned about the whole water supply containing
a medical treatment when the skin is able absorb chemicals making the
administration of the fluoride in the entire water supply not only orally
administered, but also transdermally administered.
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
-----Original Message-----
Kia ora Erika,
Please find attached the response for your request for official
information.
Ngâ mihi
OIA Services Team
Ministry of Health | Manatû Hauora
M[1]inistry of Health information releases
References
Visible links
1. [5]https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #30696 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[6]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
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Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
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References
Visible links
1. http://www.health.govt.nz/information-re...
http://www.health.govt.nz/information-re...
2. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
4. http://www.health.govt.nz/information-re...
5. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
6. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
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From: Erika Whittome
Dear OIA Requests,
I don't see any consideration of the Health Act 1956 in this response.
Please would you share the information on how the Health Act 1956 been considered in the review of fluoridation, if it exists? Specifically section 92I of the Health Act which says:
" (5) In no case may a direction require an individual to submit to compulsory treatment."
(https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ... )
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
⚠️ Note on Ministry of Health’s Non-Response (June 2025)
As a supporter of Erika Whittome’s Official Information Act request (#30696), I wish to highlight the Ministry of Health’s apparent reluctance to transparently engage with serious international scientific evidence and relevant domestic law regarding fluoridation.
🔹 The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) 2024 monograph, updated in 2025, concluded with moderate confidence that fluoride exposure >1.5 mg/L is associated with reduced IQ in children, with significant implications for prenatal and early childhood exposure. The Ministry has not disclosed any review or policy reassessment in response.
🔹 Under Section 116C(4) of the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021, the Director-General may consider any relevant evidence. This creates a reasonable expectation that MoH would actively engage with such significant findings. Their failure to produce any review documents post‑August 2024 suggests a potential dereliction of this responsibility.
🔹 The Ministry’s silence echoes issues raised in the 2023 High Court ruling (New Health NZ Inc v DG of Health), which required the Director-General to assess consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 when issuing fluoridation directives.
🔹 Further, Erika’s request rightly raises Section 92I(5) of the Health Act 1956, which prohibits compulsory medical treatment. This calls into question the legality of mandated fluoridation without consent or exemptions.
🔹 Meanwhile, jurisdictions such as Calgary (Canada), Ireland, and regions of Queensland (Australia) have paused or discontinued fluoridation in light of emerging neurodevelopmental evidence. New Zealand’s inertia is increasingly out of step with global public health best practice.
I strongly urge other FYI users to support Erika’s request by filing complementary OIAs, sharing this link, or contacting the Ombudsman to demand full disclosure and accountability from the Ministry.
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Athina Andonatou left an annotation ()
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