Background

Headquartered in Ngaruawahia, Waikato District Council is the local government organisation that looks after a region of more than 400,000 hectares centred on Hamilton City.

The council employs around 400 people, including an elected mayor and 13 councillors.

In the local government sphere, Waikato District Council is a top performer. It holds a ‘AA+’ rating by Fitch, an international credit rating agency.

Challenge

A welcoming and inclusive workplace, Waikato District Council supports employee retention and attraction by offering work/life balance, career advancement and employee benefits.

While the majority of council employees are based in Ngaruawahia, some workers are located in Raglan, Huntly, Meremere, Te Kawhata and Tuakau. Roles within the council are diverse, from administrators and parking officers to engineers and conservation rangers.

To keep everybody happy, the council’s HR and procurement team are committed to offering affordable employee benefits that are relevant to a wide range of people in a variety of locations.

Solution

For procurement analyst Nicky Hunter, offering Boost to council employees is a straightforward way to keep the playing field level, in terms of employee benefits. Waikato District Council has an association with Boost employee benefits that dates back to GSB (Government Stores Board), which is where Boost originated.

“In my role of procurement analyst, which includes some accounts and system admin work, I find the Boost platform easy to work with. It’s the preferred employee discounts programme for the council.”

Results

The Boost programme ticks along smoothly for Waikato District Council. When new employees arrive, they are given a Boost brochure that explains the benefits and how to access them. As new benefits are added to the programme, email updates are sent out to all council employees to ensure they know what’s new.

“Boost is a great platform and I’ve never experienced any problems with it. Personally, I enjoy having a nosy at the website and all the different discount options available.”

Data analysis of Boost usage by Waikato District Council employees shows that discounts from Torpedo7, NZ Safety Blackwoods, Specsavers, and Avis are the most popular benefits.