20 January 2026
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
[FYI request #33049 email]
Tēnā koe Elspeth
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00106828 Thank you for your email received on 13 January 2026, as it was partially transferred from the
Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ). You have
asked for the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
“3. Data & Monitoring
Any documentation describing how ADHD is identified, coded, monitored, or reported in
national health datasets (for example ICD, ATC, SNOMED, or pharmacy indicators), and
any outcome or performance measures used since 2015.
If ADHD is grouped under another category, please specify which category and provide the
associated coding guidance or definitions.”
Response
There is no national level ADHD diagnostic data which records all ADHD diagnoses in New
Zealand. There is some national data, but this does not include all diagnoses, as these national
data collections are specific to care settings rather than specific health conditions. Most people
would receive their ADHD diagnoses in hospital outpatient, primary care, or private specialist
settings, and national clinically coded data does not exist for these settings.
Health NZ holds national information about medications dispensed in the Pharmaceutical
Collection (Pharms), and prescription information in the Medicines Data Repository (MDR). Neither
MDR nor Pharms record the reason why a medication is prescribed. While some medications are
commonly used to treat ADHD, their presence in dispensing records does not confirm that the
person has ADHD.
The National Non-Admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC) collates national data for publicly funded
outpatient care, including specialist outpatient appointments and Emergency Department (ED)
data. The specialist outpatient appointment data is not clinically coded and is therefore not specific
enough to identify people whose appointment related to ADHD, or who were seen for ADHD
diagnoses. The ED data does include some diagnostic data, using the Systematized Nomenclature
of Medicine – Clinical Terminology (SNOMED). Although there are SNOMED terms specific to
ADHD, these are not used in an ED setting.
The Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD) includes diagnosis
information from specialist mental health and addiction services, coded using both International
Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) and the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This is the most direct source of
ADHD diagnosis data among these collections, but it only covers diagnoses (classifications) made
in specialist mental health and addiction settings. As ADHD is not commonly diagnosed nor treated
in a specialist mental health or addiction setting, diagnosis data for this condition is limited in
PRIMHD, and has known significant gaps in data quality.
Information about people who were admitted to hospital for treatment is collated into the National
Minimum Dataset (NMDS). NMDS is coded using the ICD. At present Health NZ uses the 12th
edition of the Australian Modification of the 10th version: ICD-10-AM v12.
Identifying ADHD for clinical coding is based on clinical documentation within the clinical record.
Clinical coding standards state:
“Accurate clinical documentation is the responsibility of the treating clinician. The listing of clinical concepts (eg diseases and interventions) on the front sheet and/or the
discharge summary (or equivalent) for an episode of care is the responsibility of the treating
clinician. These responsibilities also include identifying and documenting the principal
diagnosis, additional diagnoses and any interventions performed during the episode of
care. Each clinical statement must be as informative as possible in order for the clinical
coder to classify the clinical concept to the most appropriate ICD-10-AM or ACHI code. For classification purposes, the primary sources of information are located within the
current episode of care. Before classifying any documented clinical concept, the clinical
coder must verify the presence and consistency of information on the front sheet and/or the
discharge summary (or equivalent) with the relevant documentation within the body of the
current episode of care.”
Provided are the diagnosis codes and associated information from the ICD-10-AM Tabular List
coding manual.
Chapter 5 Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00–F99)
F90-F98 Behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in
childhood and adolescence
F90 Hyperkinetic disorders
A group of disorders characterised by an early onset (usually in the first five years of life),
lack of persistence in activities that require cognitive involvement, and a tendency to move
from one activity to another without completing any one, together with disorganised, il -
regulated, and excessive activity. Several other abnormalities may be associated.
Hyperkinetic children are often reckless and impulsive, prone to accidents, and find
themselves in disciplinary trouble because of unthinking breaches of rules rather than
deliberate defiance. Their relationships with adults are often socially disinhibited, with a lack
of normal caution and reserve. They are unpopular with other children and may become
isolated. Impairment of cognitive functions is common, and specific delays in motor and
language development are disproportionately frequent. Secondary complications include
dissocial behaviour and low self-esteem.
•
anxiety disorders (F41.-)
•
Excludes:
autism spectrum disorder (F84)
•
mood [affective] disorders (F30–F39)
•
schizophrenia (F20.-)
F90.0 Disturbance of activity and attention
Attention deficit:
•
o
disorder with hyperactivity
o
hyperactivity disorder
o
syndrome with hyperactivity
F90.1 Hyperkinetic conduct disorder
Hyperkinetic disorder associated with conduct disorder
F90.8 Other hyperkinetic disorders
F90.9 Hyperkinetic disorder, unspecified
Hyperkinetic:
•
o
reaction of childhood or adolescence NOS
o
syndrome NOS
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]. If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIA) Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
