Re-elected Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby says some very strong signals have come from the community about the desire for change.
Mr Crosby received 10,135 votes, about 600 more than his nearest rival, Kelvin Clout who had 9547 votes. Voter turnout was 35.5%.
Mr Crosby will serve a fourth term, but only three out of 10 councillors on the Tauranga City Council have retained their positions.
"Yeah, I think it's the only mayor in Tauranga's history that's gone over three but (it was) very close," Mr Crosby said.
"There's a huge change coming up in our council so it's regretful for those who haven't survived, the existing councillors, but it's creating an opportunity for others as well."
He says key election issues were debt, the way events are supported, and the direction of the city.
Mr Crosby says a clear message that has come through this election is from younger people who want Tauranga to be a leading city.
In the Bay of Plenty region, Glenn Leach has been re-elected mayor of Thames-Coromandel District Council. Progressive results show Mr Leach has received 7862 votes, which is more than 6000 votes clear of his only rival, Ben Parsons.
Western Bay District Council voters have re-elected Ross Paterson as mayor.
Mr Paterson received more than 4536 votes and has a clear majority over his nearest rival, Mark Boyle who has about 3672 votes. About 95% of all votes cast have been counted.
The council says 34.67% of eligible voters in the district had returned votes as of Saturday morning, which is less than 2010 when 37% voted.
In eastern Bay of Plenty, all three mayors have been returned for another term in office.
Incumbent Tony Bonne has retained the mayoralty of Whakatane District Council. He received more than 1800 more votes than his nearest rival, Julie Jukes, in the preliminary vote.
John Forbes has been re-elected mayor of Opotiki District Council. He has won 1194 votes in the preliminary count which is 516 more than his closest rival. This will be his fifth term as mayor.
Three new councillors have also been voted on to the Opotiki District Council.
Malcolm Campbell has been re-elected mayor of Kawerau District Council. He beat his only rival by more than 800 votes in the preliminary count.
