Access to fluoridated drinking water remains unchanged

We've updated our 'Access to fluoridated drinking water' surveillance report, which now uses data from Taumata Arowai, the new regulatory body.

The report shows that access to fluoride in drinking water has not seen any significant increase yet, though directions from the Director-General of Health to commence fluoridation in certain areas may change this in the near future.

You can read the report by following this link.

Here are the key facts:

• Of the New Zealanders on registered drinking water supplies, 57.5% (about 2.5 million people) reportedly had access to fluoridated water as of July 2024.

• The proportion of the population with access to fluoridated water has remained largely unchanged since 2014/15.

• Only 15.7% of the South Island population on registered supplies have access to fluoridated drinking water, compared with 72.3% of the North Island population.