Thames-Coromandel District Council’s Mangrove Management Bill sponsored by local MP Scott Simpson has been quietly withdrawn.

Finally, common sense has prevailed.  This silly Bill was never going to succeed.  The Resource Management Act may not be perfect, but it has always been open for proponents of mangrove removal to apply for a consent through that legislation.  Some did so and succeeded.

Instead, we have witnessed a huge waste of time and effort for both Parliament and submitters having to go through an exercise in futility.

The Bill was introduced into Parliament with much fanfare in 2017 but has now been withdrawn by Scott Simpson MP with no publicity.