Asia & Pacific

NZ Deputy PM Compares Fluoridation Mandates to Soviet Rule

NZ First leader Winston Peters is not happy that a council has been ordered to add fluoride to its drinking water to comply with a national law.
NZ Deputy PM Compares Fluoridation Mandates to Soviet Rule
A glass of tap water in Washington on Nov. 25, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Rex Widerstrom
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New Zealand’s outgoing Director-General of Health Dr. Diana Sarfati—who leaves her post on Feb. 21—has ordered Whangārei District Council to add fluoride to the drinking water it supplies to its 80,000 residents, a decision that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is strongly opposed to.

Parliament considered the issue of fluoridation in 2021, and passed laws giving the director-general of health the power to direct local authorities to add the chemical to their water supplies.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.