For a full explanation of each target and how it has changed, see RNZ’s target-by-target breakdown below.

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

People receiving Jobseeker benefits have increased significantly to 216,000 and education targets remain elusive. A target to reduce the number of households in emergency accommodation has been met, 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, using official data from the relevant agencies. The graphics are updated each quarter, with the most recent progress report covering up to June 2025.

Employment and education goals – in reading, writing and mathematics – are classified as “at risk” of not being met, and two health targets are considered “feasible”: still possible, but behind schedule and facing “major risks and/or issues”.

Targets considered “on track” include reducing the number of households in emergency housing, cutting crime and youth offending, and meeting near-term greenhouse gas emission targets. Officials also say lifting school attendance is “probable”.

The nine targets were selected to focus the public sector on priorities.

Progress is reported quarterly, and each responsible agency assigns a status, 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

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

The latest period of reporting shows only 74.2 percent of patients were seen within that timeframe – a slight rise from 72.1 percent in the previous quarter.

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

“Most ED [emergency departments] nation-wide are over capacity most of the time,” a briefing to ministers read.

Wait times are affected by resourcing, community services, bed availability and seasonal pressures such as increased flu outbreaks. Reducing them would require “significant system-wide change” across hospitals, primary care and aged care, officials said.

They also warned against diverting too many resources to EDs at the expense of other services: “This may result in improved ED wait times in the short term, but – through reduction in the quality of care elsewhere – would likely result in worse health outcomes and ultimately higher ED presentations in the medium to long term.”

The update noted that $164 million over four years was announced in the 2025 Budget to expand urgent and after-hours care.

The target for 95 percent of people to receive elective treatment within four months is a long way away from being achieved, with performance slipping in the past quarter.

At the moment 57.3 percent of people needing elective treatments, such as hip or cataract surgeries, are seen within four months. This is slightly higher than the 59.2 percent reported in the last quarter.

An “elective boost” of funding has delivered 12,000 elective procedures, with many outsourced to private providers.

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

Crime

The number of serious and persistent youth offenders has fallen by four since last quarter, leaving the target of 900 or fewer offenders still 38 away.

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.

Hitting the targeted 15 percent reduction by 2030 is considered on track.

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.

The goal to reduce crime is classed as on track and has been reached ahead of the 2030 deadline.

This target was kept as one of the nine government targets, despite officials suggesting it would be difficult to achieve and should be replaced with something easier to reach.

The goal to reduce the number of victims of assault, robbery, and sexual assault by 20,000 by 2030 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.

The survey includes crimes that victims might have experienced up to two years prior.

Initiatives to reach the target include limiting sentencing discounts, improving security at targeted locations and breaking the cycle of violence with expanded drug and alcohol interventions for in remand custody.

Employment

The number of people receiving Jobseeker support has risen by 6,200 to 216,000 since the March report. This target remains classified as “at risk” of being met.

This is nearly 36,000 above the forecast and 76,000 away from the overall goal of 140,000 or fewer people receiving support by 2030.

The government’s update suggested that the flow of people receiving the Jobseeker benefit will decrease as economic conditions improve.

Measures to reduce the number of people on Jobseeker benefit include stricter sanctions via a traffic light system. The system saw 13,000 sanctions handed out in the latest quarter.

Education

At 65.9 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.

Notes provided to Cabinet when the targets were being set said it would be difficult to meet the 80 percent target while Covid-19 is still circulating.

The Ministry of Education said its estimated attendance levels until 2029 is not a “technical forecast” but is based on historical patterns of greater attendance drops during winter months due to illness. At present attendance is tracking closely to the ministry’s estimation.

Since 2011, the highest percentage of students attending 90 percent of a school term was 72.8 percent, in Term 1 of 2019. The average over that time was 59.4 percent.

Reaching this target is deemed “probable”.

Achievement rates for mathematics, reading and writing are still well below the government target of 80 percent of Year 8 students being at or above the expected curriculum level.

Currently 47 percent of students are at the expected level in reading, 24 percent in writing and 23 percent in mathematics.

A structured literacy programme has been rolled out, along with a refreshed curriculum. The latest report says this update offers a snapshot of levels prior the the rollout taking effect.

Mathematics and writing action plans have been launched to raise achievement.

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 estimations.

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

The current number is 501, well below the 800 which was the 2030 goal.

Part of the plan to reach the target includes improving access to other forms of housing for emergency housing residents. As of 30 June, 1,041 households (with 2,220 children) have been housed in a social housing tenancy. Work is being done in Wellington and Waikato to move people out of emergency housing, and in December 2025 contracts with Rotorua motels will cease.

Criteria to be placed in emergency housing have also tightened despite warnings from officials that this could lead to an increase in rough sleepers.

Last week Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced five measures to help rough sleepers, including allowing Ministry of Social Development (MSD) staff to use greater discretion when assessing emergency housing applications.

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 below 290 megatonnes. This target is on track to being achieved.

Reaching the second target – for total emissions between 2026 and 2030 to be less than 309 mt – appears to be more of a challenge due to a project to store carbon facing uncertainty, as it doesn’t stack up commercially. This project represented a third of proposed carbon savings expected to be made from 2025 to 2030.

The government considers this target to be on track.

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