Lobby Group Consortium

-The National Fluoridation (Dis)information Service

NEW April 2011

The Ministry of Health has set up a new lobby group calling itself the "National Fluoridation Information Service".

In late 2010 the Ministry tendered for an organisation to contract to do its fluoridation lobbying on its behalf.

This was a direct result of FANNZ' and local activist groups' successes in fighting fluoridation, in particular on the Kapiti Coast. It has a budget of $1.2 million over three years, essentially to fight FANNZ.

It has ended up with a consortium, initially called the "National Fluoridation Support and Coordination Service". This reflects its true purpose. Its new name is presumably to disguise its true purpose, and thereby give it greater credibility.

The Service comprises:

  • Regional Public Health Wellington (Lead Partner)
  • Hutt Valley DHB Community Dental Services,
  • Environmental Science Research (ESR) (in breach of its statutory role as a Crown Research Institute),
  • Centre for Public Health Research Massey University
  • The National Poisons Centre.

A National Co-ordinator has been appointed, working for Regional Public Health. Her name is Emmeline Haymes. A part time public health specialist has also been employed.

Their objective, according to the NFIS Establishment Plan, and Contract for Services, is to take a proactive role in promoting Ministry fluoridation policy; and assisting the DHB and the Ministry to respond to factually incorrect information about water fluoridation and to promote its benefits. This is paradoxical, since the Ministry, and now the Service itself, are the main disseminators of factually incorrect information. This is shown by their first attempt at providing "information": a three page document in which they state they give an "Evidence Based Response" to claims against fluoridation. However, they provide absolutely NO scientific references! This PR rubbish has been sent (as far as we know) to every elected local government official in the country. A referenced critique has been sent by New Zealand Fluoridation Information Service, independently established to provide factual information and offset the spin the above lobby group is required to disseminate.

As representatives of this disinformation service have been telling local councils that they are an independent service providing objective information, rather than their true role as fluoroidation lobbyists, a complaint has been lodged with the State Services Commission. The SSC referred the complaint to the HVDHB for comment. This received the usual BS whitewash from the HVDHB CEO. The complaint and response to HVDHB can be viewed here.