We need your help.
Step One: The Wellington and Auckland posters for the movie event are now on our website. If you are able to print them out and give to your local health food store and/or place on community noticeboard, that would be greatly appreciated. You can find the link here: http://www.healthfreedom.co.nz/latest-news.html
Our activities towards declaring New Zealand a Fluoridation-Free Zone are hotting up as we are starting to get local media traction. We need your help to let the media know those against fluoridation are not just a minority “bunch of wackos” and start writing letters to the editors of newspapers. Several Hamilton Councillors have recently begun to push for fluoridation to be back on the agenda for the council to consider banning the unethical practice of this mass medication. The report in the Waikato Times is enclosed below.
Step Two: Please write your own letter to the editor at editor@waikatotimes.co.nz.
• Please follow the rules for writing letters to the editor which can be found at our website here http://www.healthfreedom.co.nz/images/hfnz_pdf/editorsletter.pdf
• To help you we have enclosed some letters our representatives from the Waikato Health Freedom group have written.
Dear Sir
Fluoride is the only chemical added to drinking water for the purpose of medication (to prevent tooth decay).
Fluoridation contravenes the Medicines Act of 1981. Medsafe’s website states, “The Medicines Act 1981 permits a registered medical practitioner, dentist and midwife to prescribe, administer or arrange for the administration of medicines for the treatment of a patient in his or her care”.
If it is illegal for even Doctors to prescribe medicine without a license or a private consultation – why should Councillors and Politicians be in the position to prescribe mass medication?
They have no medical license and have not even undertaken case histories of their “patients” to determine if there is fluoride sensitivity or potential danger from over-exposure.
It is estimated that over one million people in NZ are currently being medicated with fluoride. No-one knows how much medication each individual is ingesting. Individual dosages are uncontrollable and unmonitored.
If this worries you, you are not on your own.
Pat McNair
Health Freedom Waikato
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Dear Sir,
In a landmark decision (dealing with the classification and regulation of 'functional drinks' in member states of the European Community) the European Court of Justice has ruled fluoridated water must be treated as a medicine, and cannot be used to prepare foods. [HLH Warenvertriebs and Orthica (Joined Cases C-211/03, C-299/03, C-316/03 and C-318/03) 9 June 2005].
The Court ruled that where there are two different sets of rules, which appear to apply to a product, medicinal legislation must take precedent and the product must be regulated as a medicine. The Court also ruled that such ‘functional drink’ products must not be used in the preparation of foods. The Court stated that even if a ‘functional drink’ product (or a food containing it) is legally marketed as a food in one member state, it cannot be exported to any other member state unless it has a medicinal license. Therefore any company making a consumable product using fluoridated water in its preparation, or as an ingredient, cannot now export that product to any other state in the EU according to this ruling, even if their product is permitted in their home state.
This ruling is yet to be enforced. Pressure from local Councils in Ireland and Britain are now gaining momentum for its recognition. Once enforced this has the potential to greatly effect New Zealand exports to the EU. Lets hope that our Government and local Councils soon start to heed this mandatory international ruling and it spells an end to water fluoridation in NZ.
Pat McNair
Health Freedom Waikato
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Here is the Recent Article in the Waikato Times:
Fluoride Foes Set For New Battle
By GEOFF TAYLOR, Waikato Times on 5 June 2009
A group of Hamilton city councillors are pushing for the removal of fluoride from the city's water this time without a referendum. Three years after the city agreed in a public poll to keep fluoridation, a surprise move at a council meeting this week has put the issue back on the agenda.
At Wednesday's long-term plan meeting, councillor Dave Macpherson asked to have the possibility of scrapping fluoridation discussed at a meeting on July 1. The move was rejected 9-4 but if he and other councillors can agree on an appropriate timing for a showdown he may have the numbers to get rid of fluoride.
Mr Macpherson told councillors that even "blind Freddy" recognised it was a matter of when, not if, and he felt the time had come. "We know quite enough to make a decision now," he said. Councillors Joe Di Maio, Glenda Saunders and Roger Hennebry back Mr Macpherson. Two councillors Maria Westphal and John Gower indicated they would support the move if it was not so rushed. Mr Gower suggested a debate be held at the start of next year. Mr Macpherson may need to gather only one more vote. Mrs Saunders a former dental nurse said councillors should be informed enough by now to make a decision. "Fluoride will come out of our water, it's just a matter of when."
Councillors Gordon Chesterman and Pippa Mahood said that if fluoridation was raised again it should be through a referendum. "This is a significant public debate," Mr Chesterman said. "The community hasn't been engaged and I think they would be outraged if we went ahead and made that decision." He said that if there was another referendum it should be held without any supporting information, because last time councillors were inundated with information from both sides.
The referendum in May 2006 cost ratepayers $160,000 and triggered a strong campaign for retention by the Health Ministry which left opponents of fluoridation saying they had been outgunned. About 33,500 voters 38 per cent of those eligible returned their papers, and 70 per cent wanted fluoride to stay.
Mayor Bob Simcock voted against Mr Macpherson's motion, saying the lack of notice for the public would mean that whichever way the council voted "someone is going to be seriously pissed off". But Mr Macpherson today indicated he would try again once he had talked with supportive colleagues. "It's a question of finding the right tactics for how to do it. "It's an issue that isn't going to go away."
If another effort was not made in the next few months it would certainly come before the end of the council term in October next year. Mr Macpherson said the action was spurred by submitters to the long-term plan. Councillors have been provided with information, including an apparent decision by the European Court of Justice saying fluoridated water should not be used to prepare foods. The suggestion is that this could have implications for New Zealand exports to Europe.
Waikato DHB medical officer of health Felicity Dumble was shocked to hear fluoridation was back on the city council's agenda. She said the council had gone to a lot of effort and expense to hold a referendum and ensure they knew what people wanted. "They need to take into account not only professional opinion which supports fluoridation but also the views of the community which has backed it," she said. She was not aware of any scientific evidence that had changed anything since fluoride was last publicly debated in Hamilton. Another referendum at this stage would be a "dreadful waste of time and effort".
A long-time advocate for removing fluoride, Christine Cave, welcomed the move.
