Dr Bidrose is leaving the organisation to take up an a new role as AgResearch chief executive in Christchurch.
She has been the council's chief executive for almost seven years and announced her resignation to councillors and staff this afternoon.
She will leave the council on July 17 and join AgResearch, based at its Lincoln Campus, on July 27.
The Crown Research Institute is responsible for research centres and farms across the country, including the Invermay campus in Dunedin.
"It’s time for me to hand over the reins to someone else now. AgResearch will probably be the last big job I take on."
She said the hardest part of her time in the role was during the investigation into the $1.5 million Citifleet fraud in 2014.
Brent Bachop, the man at the centre of the fraud, took his own life as pressure mounted on him about irregularities found within his department.
"It was awful, very hard, Dr Bidrose said. "But it became a springboard to us being better."
She said being under the scrutiny of council and the public was difficult at times.
"It can be hard being questioned."
Dr Bidrose had confidence in Mayor Aaron Hawkins' vision for Dunedin.
"Aaron's vision for the city is fantastic, we've got a great bunch of senior councillors who will drive the city into the future."
Mr Hawkins said the news was "disappointing and sad” for council.
"It’s important to note we’re not losing her from the city. AgResearch is an important part of the city.”
In a statement sent to media earlier, Dr Bidrose said she was excited to be returning to AgResearch - the place she began her working life as a young laboratory technician.
"Now is a great time to be working back in science. The whole country has seen how important good science is for the well-being of New Zealanders, and AgResearch is at the forefront of that good science."
Dr Bidrose said she was confident she would leave the council with the organisation in good health, guided by staff who cared deeply about the city and its ratepayers.
"I leave the DCC when it is in really good heart with an excellent, hard-working Mayor and senior Councillors committed to doing the best for the city.
"I wanted to create a really modern, best-practice, A-grade public sector organisation and I feel like I have done that.
"Now it’s time for someone else to take the DCC - and the city - forward."
She was proud of the changes introduced during her time in charge, many of which – like increased investment in repairs and maintenance – did not always get the attention they deserved.
The results were recognised recently by the Office of the Auditor-General, which selected the Dunedin City Council as one of a small group of exemplars to include in its guide to best practice for developing workplace integrity and public service ethics.
"That’s my proudest achievement," Dr Bidrose said.
And, while she would be relocating to Christchurch, she was looking forward to continuing her association with Dunedin and Invermay in her new role.
"It is exciting for me to have Invermay as one of my campuses, having helped in the fight to save it. The staff there know that I know they matter to me."
Mr Hawkins said while it was sad to see Dr Bidrose go, the council's loss is the wider public sector’s gain.
"The city has been incredibly lucky to have a CEO of Dr Bidrose’s calibre, who understands and appreciates the wellbeing of our city in its broadest sense - social, cultural, environmental and economic.
"She has also been of great value to me personally, both as a Councillor and in my new role as Mayor. We all thank Dr Bidrose for her efforts and wish her every success in her new role."
Dr Bidrose joined the council in 2010 as General Manager Strategy and Development, following earlier roles at the Waitakere City Council, the Ministry of Social Development and as a director of Workwise, an agency assisting people with mental illness into work.
In 2013, she became the council's chief executive, replacing Paul Orders.
The appointment of an Acting Chief Executive would be considered by the council at its next meeting on June 30.
The search for a permanent replacement would be advertised in due course, but the statutory requirement to run a recruitment process this year meant the process was already under way.
However, it appears not all councillors were told ahead of the announcement.
Cr Andrew Whiley said he had heard the rumour Dr Bidrose would not apply to stay on, but the news was a surprise to him when he was contacted by the Otago Daily Times at 3pm today.
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Comments
It's a tough, tough uncomfortable job with all the division and infighting.
It will be sad to see Bidrose go said somebody I'm sure, lets see if she can beat Napier's Councils CEO morning tea of over $4000. I'm sure a lot will follow her career if it is not just out of curiosity. Lets hope there is least a two year period of accountability if not with Bidrose at least with the Mayor being held accountable for all the decisions she has forced on Dunedin. Poor Hawkins will be like a fish out of water. On wards and upwards Dunedin the horizon is looking good. Fair well Bidrose, well wishes, I'm sure you did do some good for Dunedin.
Wow, that was staggering. I bet you are really great to hang out with Mr / Mrs Happy.
Why the personal sniping. It doesn't have to be at every single opportunity. Sue Bidrose is a human and is leaving a work position which has been very important to her and also challenging: she has put her heart and soul in to it. The decent thing is to wish someone well. Or stay silent. These constant criticisms made by a small segment start lurching towards the "online bullying" realm. All the very best Sue! Many Dunedinites appreciate your work, vision and integrity. Many of us think Dunedin is going forward very positively. Thank you for your dedication, vision and service.
Loulou, Sue is a public servant, paid for from the public purse, i'd hardly call a member of the public's observations personal sniping, especially when they relate to her backing the current Mayors view of our city in the future, a view that many don't agree with, this is a democracy, we should all be able to discuss these things openly and objectively, and of course transparently.
Loulou, Why the personal sniping? I tend to say it how it is and in plain English .- I would say it is calling the person out really, it would not happen if the lines of communication were flowing and open. I see it happening a great deal now days especially by university educated people who refuse to provide answers to questions and expect to see the person asking the question get tired and just walk away with out an answer, commonly known as sweeping it under the carpet. Its the lack of feedback, the constant lack of accountability, the constant lack of ability to lead and communicate with the public on the reasons why they have done xyz. The Inability to answer repeated requests from both serving councillors that the public have an interest in. I take exception that you think it is online bullying it is not constant criticisms made by a small segment. It is not just the CEO but others as well - It is the persons ability to think they are greater than others and don't have to provide answers or provided any accountability for Rate payers Coin. I'm sure if the ODT though it was bullying it would not be published.
good luck to her..she did a great job in a difficult council
I've got to say that I am tired and concerned that a small segment (maybe ten readers) have been allowed to comment so negatively and personally in the ODT's comments section week in week out. Many comments are sweeping personal critiques and it's the same readers being published again and again. Therefore those views get amplified, and the poor subjects of the criticism must get very tired and disheartened - even depressed. Comments get too personal. It verges towards bullying. i hope the ODT consider carefully in the future that personal attacks and negativity from the same readers with a lot of time on their hands again and again is not helpful, balanced or fair.
Loulou Fair call however I like others am tired and concerned at the constant lack of accountability lack of answers and the constant waste of coin. IMHO The Mayor, Councillors and CEO carry a huge responsibilities and therefore need to be transparent with Rate payers and Tax payers money, Some refuse to answer questions or if they do they reply with an ambiguous comment but can never point the asker directly to where the information is or provide a suitable answer, Sorry it is there duty to provide such information when requested. they are public servants.
Hi Loulou, I think you are absolutely right in that no matter how fustrusted we get with the system or the decisions people make we should not make it a personal attack on ones personality. I am glad that you have found the time to join this debate and I hope you will continue to contribute in the future. Indeed you can help keep the comments on track and about the issue on hand.
I love the ODT's comment section and only wish more would contribute, it gives a great insight into what and how people think and hopefully it will inspire more people to engage so they can contribute to what is happening around them.
Regarding the issue on hand here, it is in my opinion that Dr Bidrose is a very clever woman and she has done a good job of protecting quite an empire and the people working for it. She would often appear to run rings around our elected officials and I strongly suspect that she had far to much influence in pushing the city in the direction she saw fit, which as an unelected official she is not allowed to do.
Even though some of her recent comments have been a bit disappointing (George St fiasco) i still want to thank her for sorting out the cities financial problems etc for the first few years, which was why she was appointed to the job.
Would be good to get Invermay humming again now... ;)
Please can she take Hawkins with her?
Sue is a good person but wasnt considered a good leader. Lots of kind words, yet a lot of staff at the DCC oddly voted for vandervis for mayor as a mechanism to remove Sue and her senior team. She wont be missed at city hall.
One avid Green down, a few more to go. Let's hope her replacement can have a more balanced view of Dunedin's future, but with the Greens picking her successor, I doubt it.
“Aaron's vision for the city is fantastic, we've got a great bunch of senior councillors who will drive the city into the ground."
Despite 2 mayors to deal with that I wouldn't wish on a neighbour with an earsmashing stereo in his car, Sue Bidrose did very well to achieve a high level of concentration on "changes introduced during her time in charge, many of which – like increased investment in repairs and maintenance" while still accommodating the shallow element's desires for hi-vis "vibrant" projects.
I hope the recruiting process for her successor has more depth than the one that threw up a previous CEO who had surely, what other explanation makes any kind of sense, been highly recommended in the hopes that someone else would take him on, because those who had worked more directly with him could have told a different story and saved Dunedin a good deal of expensive grief.
Here's to Dr Sue Bidrose, best wishes for an interesting rewarding future, and thanks for being a decent human whose motivation seemed to be getting things working right whatever the odds, not personal advancement and greed.
Dr Bidrose never did anything crooked knowingly IMO and I was scrutinizing the DCC the whole time. On the contrary, she cleaned up a great deal of crooked stuff at the DCC which is a lot harder than it looks because guilty people will not hesitate to sue for defamation, wrongful dismissal or an unsafe, harassing or bullying workplace. I do have some criticism though. There should be much clearer guidelines for Chief Executives as to what constitutes political involvement. CEs should bend over backwards to not only BE politically neutral but also to be SEEN to be so. So, when in leaving, Dr Bidrose endorses Mayor Hawkins' political line, although no doubt innocently meant, IMO silence would have been far more appropriate. Nor should CEs present to Council PURELY POLITICAL Notices of Motion like the climate change emergency declaration. If it's purely political (and Dr Bidrose acknowledged at the meeting that this Motion was) then the CE should have no involvement whatsoever. A Councillor could have presented such a Motion. (Although I think any 'fiat' Resolution is ridiculous.) But Dunedin will do well to get a replacement as good. Who will endure all the unfair public abuse.