Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced further steps to get New Zealand back on track, launching nine ambitious Government Targets to help improve the lives of New Zealanders.

“Our Government has a plan that is focused on three key promises we made to New Zealanders – to rebuild the economy, restore law and order, and deliver better public services,” says Luxon.

“We’ve made great progress, but we’re under no illusion about the scale of the challenges we face as a country.

“Despite the hard work of frontline staff like police, nurses and teachers, New Zealand has gone backwards in recent years.

“That’s why our Government is bringing back public service targets, to focus our public sector on driving better results for New Zealanders in health, education, law and order, work, housing, and the environment.

“These targets are not going to be easy to achieve.

“But we’re not here to do what is easy – we’re here to do what is needed to reduce crime, shorten healthcare wait times and improve educational achievement, no matter how difficult.”

The nine Government Targets to be delivered by 2030 are:

1. Shorter stays in emergency departments: 95 per cent of patients to be admitted, discharged, or transferred from an emergency department within six hours. 
2. Shorter wait times for (elective) treatment: 95 per cent of people wait less than four months for elective treatment. 
3. Reduced child and youth offending: 15 per cent reduction in the total number of children and young people with serious and persistent offending behaviour. 
4. Reduced violent crime: 20,000 fewer people who are victims of an assault, robbery, or sexual assault. 
5. Fewer people on the Jobseeker Support Benefit: 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support Benefit.  
6. Increased student attendance: 80 per cent of students are present for more than 90 per cent of the term.  
7. More students at expected curriculum levels: 80 per cent of Year 8 students at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading, writing and maths by December 2030.  
8. Fewer people in emergency housing: 75 per cent reduction of households in emergency housing.   
9. Reduced net greenhouse gas emissions: On track to meet New Zealand’s 2050 net zero climate change targets, with total net emissions of no more than 290 megatonnes from 2022 to 2025 and 305 megatonnes from 2026 to 2030.   

“Part of why our Government is so focused on rebuilding the economy is so that we can afford to invest in the public services that New Zealanders deserve.

“But we know that spending more money will not in itself deliver better results.

“Despite significant increases in spending under the previous government, New Zealanders got worse results from their public services.

“We are taking a different approach. Setting targets will put a focus on delivery in the public sector where there wasn’t before.

“They will also drive greater value for taxpayer money.

“The targets are deliberately ambitious – they will be challenging and require the public sector to think differently, dig deeply into root causes, learn from other places, and be innovative and disciplined in directing resources to where they will have the greatest impact on outcomes.”

Delivery of the targets is the responsibility of a lead minister and lead public service agency chief executive, working in partnership with other ministers and their agencies as appropriate.

Progress reports will be released publicly every quarter, starting from mid-2024.

More information on the Government Targets can be found here.