When contacted yesterday, Mr Jurisich said he and his wife Leeza hoped to stay in Oamaru. At this stage he does not have another job to go to, but he has three months before he leaves and hopes to find something before then.
Mr Jurisich was appointed chief executive in June, 2006, coming to Oamaru from Development West Coast where he was marketing general manager.
Before that, he worked in Australia, including with giant mining company BHP and on secondment to the Australian Government.
Mr Jurisich said he had loved his job as the Waitaki board's chief executive.
"It has been fantastic," he said.
However, now aged 60 and with grandchildren - one arrived this week and another is due shortly - he decided it was time to step into a less time-consuming job.
"It's a philosophical decision, precipitated by the arrival of grandchildren. I want to spend time with them in Australia," he said.
During his two years at the helm of the Waitaki District Council-owned organisation, Mr Jurisich has increased the district's profile, bringing a high level of visibility for both economic development and tourism.
He leaves with some exciting developments on the drawing board and positively influencing the district's growth prospects.
Mr Jurisich has been involved with several of them, including the Holcim cement plant proposal at Weston, Waitaki vineyards, film industry activity, and the growth of tourism.
All the key indicators for the community are looking positive for the future.
A major achievement during his time at the board has been the re-branding of the district.
The very successful "Visit Oamaru" branding image is now in full swing, the Oamaru i-Site has recently been refreshed, and this year there will be a significant lift in the financial result from the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony.
A new manager of the colony is about to take over operations in mid-September, with plans for growth of the facility.
