A dentist in the Hawke's Bay wrote to me: "When community water fluoridation ceased in the Hawke's Bay, there was a clear rise in tooth decay rates, particularly among Māori five-year-olds. It highlighted the benefit of water fluoridation in reducing inequalities." We know that is true. A study from a couple of years back on the dental records of New Zealand year 8 children found that three-quarters of Māori children from regions without fluoridation have dental caries. Another dentist from Auckland who was locuming in Wānaka, where the water is not fluoridated, said, "Seeing the state of mouths of some teenagers in Wānaka almost made me cry. I know they have a lifetime of massive dental bills in front of them to maintain their teeth, and some of them will be in dentures before too long." This bill will create a consistent national decision maker that will end the current patchwork of different approaches that exist across our country.