Capital’s fluoride deficient for years

A review has found water in the Wellington region hasn’t been fluoridated properly for at least six years.

The report, made public yesterday, said fluoridation for oral health was not a priority within Wellington Water — which apologised for the failings, which were partly due to weak regulatory settings.

Regulation had focused on the safety of drinking water and only ensured it was never over-dosed with fluoride, the report found.

The independent inquiry was launched after revelations the water company turned off fluoride at two plants last year without telling councils or residents.

But the investigation by consultancy firm MartinJenkins has revealed the extent of Wellington’s fluoride failure reached far beyond the point of facilities being turned off.

Since July 2016, on average, fluoridation has been administered effectively just 20 per cent of the time at Te Mārua and Gear Island treatment plants.

These plants supply water to Upper Hutt, Porirua and Wellington City residents.

Regional Public Health was aware the water wasn’t being fluoridated properly but didn’t raise it as a concern, the report said.

Eventually, fluoridation was turned off at Te Mārua in May 2021 after the supply was overdosed with fluoride twice in a month.

On both occasions, the problem was caught before the water reached residents.

Fluoridation was then turned off at Gear Island in November 2021 because the storage tanks were past their use-by-date and the building’s ceiling was deteriorating.

A lack of ownership and escalation to senior leadership meant reinstating fluoridation at the plants was not progressed urgently enough, the report found.

When the situation eventually escalated, Wellington Water’s board told the public that fluoridation had been switched off at Gear Island and Te Mārua in February 2022.

Days later it emerged this statement was incorrect, which the review said was a result of people “talking past each other”.

“However, I am confident there was no deliberate attempt to hide the length of time that fluoride had been turned off at the two plants,” Doug Martin of MartinJenkins said.

The report was clear that efforts were made at an operational level to address problems with the fluoridation facilities, but a lack of oversight and prioritisation made for slow progress.

The insufficient visibility at governance and management levels to ensure effective fluoridation created a “corporate invisibility”.

“Over time, this has led to a lack of appreciation internally of the importance that stakeholders and the public place on effectively fluoridated water.”

Interviewees described a “reactive culture and learned hopelessness” through which they gradually accepted investments to resolve systemic issues would not be granted.

This was compounded by the fact fluoridation facilities were not considered critical assets.

In a statement, Wellington Water board chairwoman Lynda Carroll said it apologised.

She said the findings gave a clear direction on improvements, many of which were put in place while the inquiry was conducted.