Public Service Targets are set for a comeback but with job cuts looming over ministries and agencies, unions fear public servants are only being asked to do more with less.

"Sometimes you might fall a bit short, but along the way you probably have brought some improvement" - Jonathan Coleman

Public Service Targets are set for a comeback but with job cuts looming over ministries and agencies, unions fear public servants are only being asked to do more with less.

Originally introduced by John Key's National government, the targets have led to improvements in the past - but that experience shows there are also risks.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unveiled his latest bullet-point list of deliverables on Monday, a 36-step action plan with a 30 June deadline.

Some can be ticked off with ease - like the 12 commitments to "take decisions", or complete business-as-usual requirements like delivering a Budget. Luxon faced criticism from the opposition of running the country like a company, but he says he's turned around large organisations before - skills he says are transferable to his new role.

Point 26 - the resurrection of public service targets - is certainly in keeping with his chief executive style. It was a cornerstone National Party policy in 2012 launched by then-PM John Key, who touted the need for quantifiable results New Zealanders could understand. The rhetoric and rationale from Luxon 12 years later is much the same.

The 10 original targets aimed for percentage reductions in rheumatic fever, crime rates, assaults on children, and the number of people on a benefit; percentage increases to infant immunisation rates, early childhood education participation, and NCEA and tertiary qualifications; and more online interaction with government services. Each was overseen by a relevant minister and public service chief executive but required cross-agency collaboration.

Dr Jonathan Coleman at a select committee.

Dr Jonathan Coleman was state services minister from 2011 to 2014 and says they wanted cohesion, focus, and accountability: that is, getting departments working together, setting outcomes they can be measured against, and making the work of the sector more visible to the public.

Coleman says the targets were always meant to be ambitious, and while not all hit their mark they largely achieved their purpose. …

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details