Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper will run in next year's state election on a platform of setting up the region for a future "that is coming faster than we realise."
The key independent, who was first elected to parliament in 2007, said he decided after a period of soul searching and consultation with his wife Lyn.
"I'm not slowing down at all; I feel as good today as I did 20 years ago," he said.
"I'm loving life and serving the community.
"I have enjoyed extraordinary support. If the community feels that I am still the right person to represent them after a considerable period of time, then I believe that I still have a lot to offer."
Mr Piper, who has also served as Speaker in the current parliament, secured 74.1 per cent of the vote after preferences in the 2023 election.
Ensuring continued government investment in the rapidly growing south-western corner of Lake Macquarie along with ensuring the region was well set up for the future were his top priorities.
"We have got some big challenges ahead of us; the future is coming at us faster than we realise," the former Lake Macquarie mayor said.
"I have a good relationship with Lake Macquarie Council and we need to work together to make sure the government understands how important getting services into the local community are."
This will come into acute focus when Eraring Power Station closes in 2029 resulting in the loss of about 200 power station jobs, a similar number of contractor jobs and thousands more across the local economy.
"I want to be there to help the transition into that new space, hopefully new well-paying jobs," he said.
Mr Piper said the reward for political longevity was the ability to understand the region's social and economic changes from a broader perspective.
"I see things through a lens that has a longer horizon," he said.
"People panic in the short term, but we shouldn't. We should be doing good strategic planning that involves having an understanding of where we have come from and where we are going. Where we have come from is not where we are heading.
"I think with the experience that I have got allows me to bring a different perspective. But we also need to make sure we can move rapidly to take advantage of opportunities when they arise."
Regardless of the election outcome, Mr Piper, who will be 73 in four years' time, confirmed this would be his final tilt.
He said Labor's desire to win back the seat did not factor into his decision to keep going.
However, he does plan to work on a succession plan to keep the seat independent.
"I'm not anti-Labor, but I do like independents," he said.
"I'm always looking for a person who might step up into that space. I know there are plenty of good people out there."
Labor preselections for the 2027 election are scheduled to begin after this month's state conference.
The government announced earlier this year that it may be forced to cull a number of male Labor MPs to avoid breaching internal affirmative action rules requiring equal representation between men and women.
The affirmative action rules have required a minimum percentage of seats to be held by women for several years.
