Rotorua district councillors met on Thursday to discuss how to go about public consultation on the controversial subject of fluoridation of the district's water supplies.
But, after intense debate councillors decided to drop their original decision of holding a binding public referendum and ended up dropping the matter altogether.
Councillors said the cost of the equipment required, the ongoing costs of running it and the cost of possible legal challenges outweighed any benefit to the community.
Another reason to drop the matter was that councillors also said this was a decision that should be made by central government, not local councils.
