PRIVATE-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES AROUND THE WORLD: LEARNING FROM THE EXPERIENCE Karisa Ribeiro* † André Dantas** Abstract In New Zealand, there have been signs that Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) may be employed in expanding the roading network in order to meet future developing needs. This paper examines the lessons from international experiences and the potential of PPP initiatives in developing roading projects in New Zealand in order to contribute to the scientific and technical discussion. Potential issues in the implementation of PPP initiatives focusing in New Zealand context are identified. 1. Introduction There has been a growing tendency in involving the private sector in providing high-standard transport infrastructure to meet the needs of rapid economic growth. For many years, the public sector has traditionally financed and operated infrastructure projects using resources from taxes and various levies (e.g. fuel taxes, road user charges). However, the recent disparity between the capacity to generate resources and the demand for new facilities has forced governments to look for new funding methods and sources. Many countries are now contemplating Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as an arrangement between public and private sectors to finance, design, build, operate and maintain public infrastructure, community facilities and related services. Despite widely acknowledged benefits associated to PPP, international experiences have shown that there can be many issues affecting the successful implementation of these partnerships. It has been argued that a properly structured PPP can efficiently achieve better results than public sector initiatives. It is often claimed the private sector, with its wide range of managerial, commercial, and technical skills, can reputedly perform certain tasks more efficiently than the government, thereby offering potentially huge benefits to the public (Zhang et al., 2001). Despite avowed advantages, recent international experiences of PPP programmes have shown that extensive planning actions are required in order to guarantee the minimum level of risk (World Bank, 1999; Fisher and Babbar, 1996; Menckhoff and Zegras, 1999; Shaw et al., 1996). This paper intends to contribute to the technical discussion about PPP planning and implementation in the New Zealand context. A review on recent international experiences is presented in order to identify potential issues, challenges, barriers and lessons that may contribute to developing PPP roading projects in New Zealand. The paper is divided into four sections, namely: critical analysis of world wide PPP initiatives in roading projects; New Zealand context and PPP; of PPP initiatives focusing in New Zealand context and conclusions and recommendations for further studies. * MWH New Zealand, 7 Deans Avenue PO Box 13249, Christchurch, New Zealand. Tel: +64-3-343-8792 email: ka isa.m.ribeiro@mhwglobal.com r . ** University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Department of Civil Engineering, Christchurch, New Zealand. Tel +64-3642238 email:,andre.dantas@canterbury.ac.nz , †The opinions and ideas expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the MWH New Zealand.