Director Elizabeth Caldwell announced her resignation last month after three years in the role in Dunedin, following a successful application for the directorship of City Gallery Wellington.
She leaves in July.
At the time, Dunedin City Council strategy and development general manager Dr Sue Bidrose said she was naturally concerned about the possibility of finding someone of Ms Caldwell's calibre quickly to take over the Dunedin role, considering it took 15 months to find Ms Caldwell.
However, while the delay last time was partly because there was a review of the directorships of the art gallery and the Otago Settlers Museum during that time, a lengthy recruitment period did not look like it was going to be a problem this time, Dr Bidrose said.
She and other council staff members had already received calls from several people interested in the position.
The Dunedin Public Art Gallery was highly regarded in New Zealand and that was in no small part due to Ms Caldwell's hard work in the time she was here, Dr Bidrose said.
The "excellent job" the director had done not only made it harder to replace her personally, but also increased the high esteem in which the gallery was held, and made its directorship even more attractive for people in the field.
Applications for the position, which is being advertised in New Zealand and overseas, close on May 31.
The choice of new director would be made with input from "one or two" people from Dunedin's arts sector and some from other centres, Dr Bidrose said.
