Health New Zealand's health targets fact sheets show 72.6% of people on the planned surgery list had waited under four months in April to June 2026, beating a 70% milestone.
The figures were published on 23 September. A year earlier the result was 63.9%. The target for 2030 is 95%.
By our sums, that leaves 27.4% of people on the list still waiting past four months.
Health New Zealand delivered 56,613 planned treatments in the quarter, 4,041 more than in the same quarter last year. The list itself fell 2.0%, from 75,679 people to 74,136.
The longest waits dropped most. People waiting more than 365 days went from 2,736 to 1,707, down 37.6%.
Health New Zealand credits "additional theatre sessions in evenings and weekends".
It also points to the private sector.
"Extra support from the private sector has helped increase the number of treatments delivered, particularly for people who have been waiting the longest," the report says.
Over the longer run, a five and ten year results table shows 97.9% waiting under four months in April to June 2016/17. That fell to 61.0% in 2021/22, then stayed between 63.4% and 63.9% for three years.
It's the strongest April to June result since 2020/21, when it was 78.1%.
The queue for a first specialist assessment also got shorter. In April to June, 66.1% waited under four months, up from 62.0% a year earlier, and assessments delivered rose 11%, from 173,236 to 191,890.
The list itself grew, though, from 192,537 to 196,677 people. The number waiting longer than four months fell 8.9%, from 73,145 to 66,639.
Two of the five health targets missed their milestones. Emergency department stays under six hours came in at 76.3%, which the report says was "just below the 77 per cent milestone". Children fully immunised by 24 months reached 83.7%, against 87%.
