Tauranga City Council has set up one of three planned sites for the community to access non-fluoridated water. Photo: RNZ/Rebekah Parsons-King
Tauranga City Council has set up one of three planned sites for the community to access non-fluoridated water, even though anti-fluoride campaigners told them last year it would be a waste of time.
The council added fluoride to the city's water on 24 October 2024 following an order from the Director-General of Health.
At that time, councillors asked staff to investigate options for non-fluoridated water supplies, but it had taken many months to implement.
In December, Fluoride Free Tauranga advocate Robert Coe said providing a fluoride-free water supply would now be a waste of time.
"The horse has already bolted. Those of us who choose not to drink fluoridated water have already figured out what we have to do," he told elected members at a December council meeting.
However, the council continued with the work and the new fluoride-free community tap is at Alice Johnson Oval, off Doncaster Drive near Gordon Spratt Reserve, Pāpāmoa.
Two additional non-fluoridated community taps are proposed for Wharepai Domain in the city centre and Waipuna Park in Welcome Bay, pending further water quality sampling.
The water at Alice Johnson Oval and the other planned taps was not processed through the city's water treatment plants. Instead, these systems used cartridge filters and UV light to treat the water. No additional fluoride beyond natural background levels would be added.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said he was pleased the people of Tauranga now had access to an alternative water source, after the Director-General of Health gave the green light to install three supply points in the city.
"Our council heard concerns from locals about central government's directive to add fluoride, so it's pleasing we're able to offer people more choice," Drysdale said.
Nic Johansson, the council's general manager for infrastructure, said residents could collect water from the new community tap in Pāpāmoa using their own clean containers.
"While we can't guarantee the quality of the water after it has left the tap, we encourage those who choose this option to handle and store it responsibly," he said.
The dates when the two further taps would be ready to use had yet to be confirmed.
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