School PPPs good for education and enterprise

The Government’s plans to progress public-private partnerships for school buildings are good news, says BusinessNZ.

Commenting on today’s announcement that school PPPs may be put in place early next year, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly said the move could bring a wide range of benefits.

“Property development and management is a major responsibility for often over-stretched boards of trustees. Having private enterprise take on the risk involved in this area will allow boards of trustees to focus more fully on key educational outcomes.

“The policy can be expected to achieve savings through the contribution of the commercial expertise of the private sector.

“And it will help rebalance parts of the economy where there is currently an over-reliance on state sector provision, to the detriment of small businesses. Many such businesses are currently squeezed out of the market due to the dominance of the government sector.

“Along with the Government’s positive work towards improved procurement practice by state agencies, this policy holds much promise for achieving a stronger commercial sector.”