PM Christopher Luxon's public sector targets: The hits and misses in latest update

Four of the government's nine key targets risk not being met, the latest update shows.

The number of people receiving Jobseeker benefits remains significantly higher than the target of 140,000 and education targets remain elusive.

Two health targets are considered "feasible", but still a way off.

A target to reduce the number of households in emergency accommodation has been met well ahead of schedule, as has a goal to reduce the number of victims of assault or robbery.

RNZ is tracking progress towards each of the government's nine targets, which were announced by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in April 2024. The targets were chosen to focus the public sector on priorities, and progress is updated each quarter.

Each responsible agency assigns a status to progress, ranging from "on track" to "unachievable". Progress toward reaching a target can still be classed as "feasible", even if there are major risks or issues in meeting it, as long as the agency in charge believes these can be resolved.

The nine targets are set to be delivered by 2030, beyond the current political term.

Health

Achieving the goal for 95 percent of patients to be admitted, discharged or transferred from an emergency department within six hours remains far adrift.

The latest update shows 74.2 percent of patients are seen within that timeframe - an increase from 68.9 percent in the last quarter.

When setting this target, officials warned there was a risk it would not be achievable in the short term.

"Most ED [emergency departments] nationwide are over capacity most of the time," a briefing to ministers read.

This update noted improvements across the whole care system are needed to reduce emergency department wait times.

In March, $25 million was announced to tackle winter demand. This includes up to 378 additional staff across the country and 71 extra winter hospital beds.

Reaching the 95 percent goal by 2030 is considered feasible, meaning there are major risks to achievement.

The second health target for 95 percent of people to receive elective treatment within four months is a long way away from being achieved.

At the moment, 64.5 percent of people needing elective treatments, such as hip or cataract surgeries, are seen within four months. This is slightly lower than the 65.9 percent reported in the last quarter.

The private sector is being used to tackle the waitlist, with 21,000 procedures to be funded through an Elective Boost programme to June 2026.

Delivery of this target is considered feasible, indicating there are still major risks.

Crime

The number of serious and persistent youth offenders has decreased from 856 in the last update to 829 and has now reached the target of 900 or fewer well ahead of 2030.

For a youth offender to be classed as a serious or persistent offender they must have committed three or more offences in the past 12 months, with at least one of them having a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment or more.

Bootcamps, improving response teams and locally-led initiatives and increased school attendance are listed as areas the government is focused on to reach the target.

A goal to reduce the number of victims of assault, robbery or sexual assault to 165,000 is classed as on track and has been reached ahead of the 2030 deadline. In this update the total is up by 3000 from the previous quarter's results, but remains below the target of 165,000.

The goal is based on data from the New Zealand Crime and Victims' Survey. Officials warned the survey data had a high margin of error and was more suitable for showing long-term trends, with quarterly data described as volatile and likely to fluctuate.

The survey asks respondents about their experience of reported and unreported crime over the past 12 months.

Initiatives to reach the target include the Three Strikes sentencing reform, gang harm legislation, and new stalking and harassment laws.

Employment

The number of people receiving Jobseeker support has fallen to 215,200 since the December report, down by 8300. The update notes a decrease in the first quarter of the year is typical.

This target remains classified as "at risk" and is still a considerable way from the goal of 140,000 or fewer people receiving support by 2030.

The government's update suggested the flow of people receiving the Jobseeker benefit will decrease as economic conditions improve. Measures the update mentioned that will be used to decrease the number include a traffic light system, shifting people into work and increased case management work.

A test for Jobseeker eligibility for 18 and 19-year-olds was announced in October 2025, which will mean applicants whose parents have a combined income above $65,529 will be ineligible for the benefit. It's estimated 4300 young people will be affected by this. It will come into effect in November.

Education

At 68 percent, Term 1's attendance rate is well below the target of 80 percent of students present for more than 90 percent of the term. This means students should take no more than five days off a term.

Absence is classed as either "justified" or "unjustified". Justified absences include illnesses, and other reasons which fall under school policy, such as suspensions. Unjustified absences include truancy, or taking holidays in term time. The government target of 80 percent makes no distinction between the two.

Attendance management plans have been implemented from 2026, these are now mandatory. They include attendance targets for schools, and a process to identify and manage absences.

Public information campaigns for 2026 aiming to improve attendance include a focus on illness and taking holidays in term time.

Reaching the attendance target is deemed "probable".

Results for writing and mathematics show a small improvement in the latest update, but reading fell slightly. All results are well below the 80 percent target.

The update says the government is focusing on a clearer curriculum, a better approach to numeracy and literacy and better reporting.

This target is considered to be "at risk" of not being met.

Housing

Driving down the number of households in emergency housing is one target where progress leapt ahead of estimates.

From a baseline of 3141 households, the goal was to reduce the number by 75 percent, to 800 or fewer.

The current number is 471, well below the 800 which was the 2030 goal. Although it is higher than December's total of 444.

Part of the plan to reach the target includes improving access to other forms of housing for emergency housing residents. As of March 2026, 1101 households (with 2367 children), have been housed in a social housing tenancy. This is an increase of six households and 27 children since December's report.

Climate

There are two targets New Zealand has committed to meeting as part of its net zero climate change goal.

The first target is for total greenhouse gas emissions between 2022 and 2025 to be no more than 290 megatonnes. The second target is for total emissions to be no more than 305 megatonnes between 2026 and 2030.

The update says both are on target.