Hawke’s Bay Local Authority Shared Service launches new website

Hawke's Bay Local Authority Shared Services (HB LASS) has launched a new website showing the internal services, processes and shared purchasing power where councils aim to collectively achieve time and cost efficiencies.

"Hawke's Bay people can now see the growing range of services where all five councils are working together to drive operational efficiencies and reduce costs," the Hawke's Bay Regional Council says in a statement.

HB LASS was established in December 2012 in order to investigate, develop and deliver shared services, where and when that can be done more effectively for any combination of some or all of the shareholding councils. Insurance, information services, GIS and fuel are currently shared services.

The company is owned by Central Hawke's Bay District, Hastings District, Napier City, Wairoa District and Hawke's Bay Regional Councils. Each Council CEO is a director of the company.

The driver behind HB LASS has so far been to improve service levels, lower costs, improve efficiency and increase value through innovation for Hawke's Bay ratepayers, the council explains.

The current services and cost-sharing projects include insurance, information services, Geographic Information Services (GIS, also known as mapping) and fuel.

"This new website will give Hawke's Bay people more information about what their councils are doing to share services and save on costs," says HB LASS chairman Craig Waterhouse.

"For insurance, we partnered with Manawatu, Whanganui, Bay of Plenty and some South Island councils to achieve more than $3 million worth of savings for the 25 councils involved," Waterhouse explains.

CEO of Wairoa District Council Fergus Power says he supports the economy of scale achieved by HB LASS.

"Through our efforts, Hawke's Bay saved $930,000 for the 15/16 year insurance programme, while the GIS shared service also saved $170,000 in joint software purchasing," he says.

Liz Lambert, Interim Chief Executive of Hawke's Bay Regional Council is also a project advocate, adding, "We're confident we can deliver more savings through joint procurement and by aligning contracting programmes for shared services across the region.

 This is good for our region and our ratepayers," she says.

"HB LASS has been quietly working away, focussed on delivery. Our new website shares these successes and will continue to inform on the work of HB LASS.