Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby will not be seeking re-election for another term, he confirmed today.

There have been a few hints in recent meetings and he's discussed the situation privately with most of the councillors, Stuart told SunLive.

Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby will not run for another turn.

After 12 years of being Mayor, Stuart says he has other things he wants to achieve.

'And I personally believe it is time for the city to have a fresh face. It's not that I don't love the job. I love the job passionately, and I would be capable if the electors wanted me, to do more terms.

'But large cities and Tauranga is in the top six cities, need to move forward. In my view they need to constantly be refreshed and my current feeling is that come 2016 the city should have a fresh face as the Mayor of Tauranga after 12 years.”

The new council is an element behind the decision but not all of it, says Stuart.

'I now have confidence that by the end of 2016 the seven new elected members will be the backbone of the new council moving forward. Democracy will say some will stay some will go, that's the nature of the business.

'And I'm not talking just about the mayoralty. I'm seeing succession in leadership, chairmanship and across the gambit of our business. I couldn't have said that with total confidence previously. We had good people there, but they are not there now.

'Within this group I see good leadership moving forward. I see commitment, dedication, enthusiasm, and a good culture most importantly.”

The decision is being driven by a need for new challenges, says Stuart. He sees opportunities regionally and privately.

And drawing on the knowledge and contacts he's made while mayor he's looking at a more diverse future, hoping eventually to do some national work, local work and some volunteering.

'I'll be 60 and I will have done 30 years in local government, not a bad innings,” says Stuart.

'I have been saying this privately for a long time, this would be my last term. I think it's a good thing to get it out early, let people know. Let people who have hopes and aspirations for the mayoralty to get prepared.

'And it's got nothing to do with my love for the job. I love it. But it's what's best for the city, comes before what's best for me. And I think after 12 years it will be time for a change.

'At this stage I'm really comfortable with our new council, and by 2016 they will be in a really strong position as well.”

The former city councillor took the mayoralty from Jan Beange in 2004, and has been mayor of Tauranga since.

He has been a city councillor since 1986, serving as chairman on various committees and a period as Deputy Mayor. Stuart went into local body politics after a background in the electrical contracting and building industry.

To hear more from Stuart listen to Moana FMs afternoon broadcast here.