After five years, two very different councils, and $19.5million, the Hawke's Bay Regional Council has pulled its support for the Ruataniwha Dam.
This morning the Hawke's Bay Regional Council agreed to focus on other priorities, and support its investment arm in looking for other investors for the scheme.
The crowd gathered inside the council chambers this morning was smaller than for previous major dam decisions, as councillors considered whether the council and its investment company - the Hawke's Bay Regional Investment Company Ltd (HBRIC) - move on from the scheme.
Council CE James Palmer told councillors this move "signals the end of the road, in terms of the council's financial support for the scheme going forward".
There were "significant impediments" to it going forward - such as the July Supreme Court decision which meant a land swap needed for the $330m project, could not go ahead.