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It’s not about water fluoridation, it’s about democracy

Thursday, 15 September 2016, 11.00 am
Press Release: Andrew Buckley

It’s not about water fluoridation, it’s about democracy

As a member of the Waikato District Health Board I believe it is my job to ask hard questions and hold our system to account. Board members, both elected and appointed, are there to ensure that a good process is followed so that the best decisions can be made. At our DHB, and apparently at others around New Zealand, I believe that we sometimes lose sight of the right process. As a result decisions are being made without having all of the relevant facts in hand.

An example of this flawed decision-making occurred when the Waikato DHB voted unanimously, bar one, to simply roll over our existing position on fluoridation without debate or discussion. The DHB’s management team presented the policy “for information,” without any supporting evidence. At a meeting in 2011, we were advised that we were “not there to discuss it, we were there to endorse it.” I believe that attitudes and statements like this are a serious threat to our democracy and move us closer to a place where faceless bureaucrats make major decisions without taking into account the voice of the community.

It appears that the Waikato DHB is not the only place in New Zealand where such poor practice is occurring. Last month we saw media reports of allegations of bullying and intimidation at Nelson and Marlborough DHB against a board member who raised legitimate concerns about the safety and value of water fluoridation. Another report related to a board member’s concerns at Canterbury DHB about their “gagging policy” and lack of transparency.

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In a democracy such as ours it should not fall to individual DHB board members to highlight failures to follow good process. The community trusts elected representatives to make good decisions, but in the absence of sound and comprehensive evidence it is impossible to do anything other than rubber-stamp the opinion of someone else.

I believe in due process. I believe in evidence-based decision making. I believe that the comprehensive information needs to be discussed critically and with maturity and objectivity. I believe that the members of our community deserve to have their voices heard at the board table. For these reasons I’ll continue to vote against positions such as these until such time as our organisations present both sides of a story so that the best decision can be made.

For more on this subject please visit
http://www.andrewbuckley.co.nz/category/issues

-- ENDS –

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