April 09, 2024
Luxon sets two term targets
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has re-introduced public service targets, which were a feature of the John Key-led National Government from 2008 to 2016.
The move comes at the same time as Stats NZ has scrapped the Living in Aotearoa longtitudinal survey as it tries to make the savings needed for the tax cuts.
That survey allowed the government to track the effectiveness of child poverty reduction and other policy targets.
Mr Luxon says the nine new targets will be overseen by a cabinet strategy committee, with quarterly updates in each area.
He wants 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker support benefit and a 75 percent reduction of households in emergency housing.
At the end of March there were 108,000 people on work ready jobseeker support and another 80,000 receiving the benefit because of a health condition or disabilty.
In crime, the Government wants to reduce the total number of children and young people with serious and persistent offending behaviour by 15 percent, and have 20,000 fewer victims of assault, robbery, or sexual assault.
In heath, 95 percent of patients should be be admitted, discharged, or transferred from an emergency department within six hours, and the wait for elective treatment should be no longer the four months for 95 percent of patients.
Targets for education include 80 percent of students being in class for more than 90 percent of the term, and more students should meet aexpected curriculum levels – 80 percent of Year 8 students at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading, writing and maths by December 2030.
Mr Luxon says New Zealand is on track to meet its 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.