Whanganui mayor Annette Main has announced she will not be seeking another term at the local body elections in October next year.
Ms Main - who has spent the last six years as mayor and the previous 12 on the Whanganui Regional Council - made the announcement on her Facebook page.
She said she was proud of her achievements but felt it was the right time to go, in order to spend more time with her family and business.
"The circumstances of the last few years, where my husband died suddenly at the end of the last term, have caused me to reflect on what I'm going to do in the rest of my life. I'll be 65 next year and I really feel like it's time to let somebody younger come through."
