Winston Peters: NZ First leader addresses new bill designed to repeal 2021 fluoridation law

NZ First's Winston Peters is determined to give Kiwis the right to choose as part of a new bill.

The Party has introduced a member's bill that aims to repeal a 2021 fluoridation law - requiring councils to hold a referendum. 

It would look into the law giving the Director-General of Health authority to mandate having fluoride in local water supplies. 

Peters says people have had a right to vote on these matters for decades - and he hopes to re-instate that right.

"We're saying - give people back the democracy they enjoyed all those decades and let them decide. They're the ones who have a right in regards to what they want, not some over-inflated bureaucrats in Wellington." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Zealand First has introduced a member's bill to change
the rules around fluoride in the water. If it's pluck
from the ballot and if it were to pass, the
bill would repeal the twenty twenty one law that gave
the Director General of Health the power to determine if
water supplies should be fluoridated. Now, local water authorities would
also be forced to hold a binding referendum on the issue.

(00:23):
Winston Peters is the leader of the New Zealand First
and he's with me this afternoon. Good afternoon, good afternoon,
Great to have you on. So obviously there's not a
lot of support around from your cabinet colleagues for making
a change to this issue. You've been forced to go
down the member's bill route.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well, the reality is that this was the state of
affairs for decades until twenty twenty one when the people's
right to choose in a local referendum was removed, and
then they became the victims of an autograde decision which
costs millions for councils and at a thread of two
hundred dollars fine and ten dollars for every day that

(01:06):
this exist, at ten thousand every day since that it
would be in place. So it's two hundred thousand dollars
fine and then ten dollar fine every day that the
Council didn't comply with a dictate from the Director General
of Health as a result of the twenty one legislation.
And we're saying, give people back the democracy that they

(01:26):
enjoyed all those decades. Let them decide. They're the ones
who are right to have a regard to what they want,
not some bunch of over inflated bureaucrats in Willington.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Fine at as being told, because they're obviously the ones
who are kicking up the biggest fuss you'd have to say.
And the Director General is saying, oh, we're going to
go to the will force you through the High Court. Actually,
so they've got to March twenty eight. Now, look it's unlikely.
I mean it is possible, but it's highly unlikely this
bill is going to be anywhere significant by then.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
So what well it depends depends depends. If you are
persuasive and your colleagues take a similar line of responsibility,
we could have the bill through Parliament by that time
and it would not be necessary for the ratepayers of
farn ray or to Roma for example, or when you
other council having to waste all this money.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Well not so much, my colleagues, but yours. Minister Nicola
Willis just said on the news here at News talks'd
be I want my kids to have fluoride in their water,
and I want that for every other kid too. We're
not touching the law.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, that was not the National Party's position for all
those decades, and I'm talking about in the sixties, seventies,
eighties and nineties all the way through to twenty twenty one.
We're in an authoritative Labor Party by itself made this decision.
So we just wanted to go back to what it
was and we'll trust the people.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Not fair enough. Any comment to make on David Seymour
in the house today and the driving up the steps yesterday.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
No, you have you heard the Latin phrase raise up
to lock at it? No?

Speaker 1 (02:59):
I have an ex what does that mean?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
It means the thing speaks for itself.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Have you heard from the Prime Minister Mark Brown yet?

Speaker 2 (03:09):
No, because he's in Basing at the moment.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Do you expect to hear from him?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
So?

Speaker 1 (03:13):
I mean, have you had any communication that you might
be hearing from him.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, again, this is a matter of this is a
matter of a wedding development side don't know when that
will be, but we would expect to hear from due course.
But that's not what I expect the next couple of days.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
So he still hasn't even said if he's going to
talk to us yet.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh I know. He said he's going to talk to
us and said he's going to talk to the Cogoden people,
but not before the event, after it.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Mister Peters, thank you very much for your time. I
appreciate it, Deputy Prime Minister, and you've been New Zealand
First Party Leader Winston Peters. For more from Hither Duplessy
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