Better Public Services were introduced in 2012 to set out specific targets to reach in priority areas by 2017 - and the targets were revised last year.
Some of the targets included cutting the youth crime rate by 25 per cent, reducing working-age beneficiaries by 25 per cent, reduce rate of initial hospitalisation for rheumatic fever in children, and an increase to 85 per cent the percentage of students who leave school with NCEA level 2 or equivalent.
About two thirds of the targets were met, and some fell short.
Ardern told reporters at Labour's caucus retreat in Wairarapa that the new Government would not be continuing with them.
It would set milestones in some areas and it would set target to reduce child poverty. But she cited the target to reduce rheumatic fever as failing to target the causes of the illness - poor quality, damp housing.
English said the rheumatic fever target was a good target.
"It meant that if part of the problem was housing, you had to act on that specific family and that house.
"Of course there is a role for making sure the quality of all housing is high. But you've got actual kids showing up at the emergency department tonight who are sick and the target forced people to deal with that.
Without targets, money was wasted on "churn" - "turning up 15 times to the same family but not actually changing anything".
The targets made the public service staff understand what they should be doing, who they were doing it for and what difference they made.
"They don't sit round in these endless processes of writing strategies and talking about high-level good intentions and wondering what they are there for.
"That is what the public service will do if they can."
English said the targets also helped to identify the Government's priorities to a detailed level.
English said a lot of public servants would be disappointed the Government was going to ditch Better Public Services.
