Dunedin City Council marketing and communications agency manager and Rugby World Cup co-ordinator Debra Simes is leaving her position on September 11.
Ms Simes' boss, council strategy and development manager Sue Bidrose, said yesterday she was "very, very gutted" about the news.
"If there was anything I could do to keep her, I would," Ms Bidrose said.
New Zealand International Science Festival director Sue Clarke was contracted already to organise festivals and events around the world cup, and she and other council staff would cover Ms Simes' role.
Ms Simes' work involves dealing with the responsibilities of the host region agreement the city signed with Rugby New Zealand 2011, and she is the city and the council's point of contact for tournament issues, responsible for ensuring the council delivers on its obligations, commitments and agreements for the event.
Her role in the last few months has included dealing with everything from traffic management to volunteers, establishing "clean zones" for advertising in the city, hosting and transporting more than 15,000 visiting fans, and even making sure there are sufficient public toilets.
She said yesterday she planned to move to New Plymouth with her partner, council parks and reserves team leader Martin Thompson, to start a garden retail and cafe business.
The move was necessary soon because of the timing of taking on the New Plymouth business, which meant she needed to begin there as soon as possible.
The date of her departure would allow her to see her work through until after the first and biggest game, between England and Argentina.
Official welcomes for the two teams would also be completed.
"Our planning is basically identical for the four matches," she said.
"The city has been planning for the Rugby World Cup for over three years.
"All the organisation has been done to within an inch of its life."
Agencies outside the council were also involved, and there was an extensive team of people to deal with any issues.
Ms Bidrose said Ms Simes had done "an extraordinary job".
Ms Simes' role would not be filled until the new council chief executive, Paul Orders, arrived in late September or early October, as it was expected he would want a say in hiring a senior council employee.
Ms Simes has been with the council for the majority of the last 16 years, beginning in 1995 as a tourism development officer, then managing the Dunedin Centre and Town Hall from 2001, after a stint at the Otago Museum.
She moved to her role as marketing and communications agency manager in 2007.
"I've had a marvellous career with the Dunedin City Council," she said.
It allowed her to be involved in projects that made a difference to the city and the community, but after 14 years, it was time for a new challenge.
"It is hard to leave Dunedin," Ms Simes said.
