Reference: 20250843
15 December 2025
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
[FYI request #33052 email]
Dear Elspeth
Thank you for your Official Information Act (OIA) request, received on 29 November
2025. You requested the following:
1. Economic and Fiscal Analysis
-Any analysis, modelling, or advice conducted, commissioned, or received by The
Treasury concerning the economic, fiscal, or productivity impacts of ADHD.
-Any correspondence noting ADHD as a policy blind spot, social investment gap,
or cross-system cost driver.
-Any advice or documents discussing ADHD within broader “mental health,”
“disability,” or “neurodevelopmental” cost frameworks.
If any Māori equity, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or Māori wellbeing considerations were
applied when assessing ADHD related economic, fiscal, or social investment
advice, please provide the relevant documents.
2. Employment and Income Impacts
-Any analysis or data linking ADHD with employment, unemployment, income
support, or KiwiSaver participation or contributions.
-Any analysis, data, or modelling on pay equity or income gaps between people
with ADHD and those without, or between ADHD and other neurodivergent or
disability cohorts.
3. Strategy and Oversight
-Any documents, advice, or correspondence (2015 - present) in which The
Treasury discussed or commented on the potential benefit or need for a
coordinated, cross-sector national ADHD strategy.
-Please confirm whether The Treasury or any other agency holds oversight
responsibility for ADHD in fiscal or social investment planning. If none, please
confirm this.
4. IDI Data and Investment Feasibility
In light of the 2025 University of Otago study demonstrating that ADHD can be
identified and analysed within the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), please
provide:
-Any analysis, correspondence, or advice received by Treasury or the Social
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Investment Agency (SIA) regarding the technical feasibility of identifying ADHD
within IDI datasets (for example, when ADHD became codeable in Ministry of
Health collections).
-Any analysis or modelling Treasury or the SIA has conducted, commissioned, or
received using IDI or other linked datasets to assess ADHD related outcomes,
productivity, or fiscal costs.
-Any feasibility assessments, data limitation notes, or discussions about future
use of IDI data for ADHD related equity or cost benefit work.
-Any correspondence, proposals, or funding discussions regarding
commissioning such IDI based work.
The Treasury does not hold any relevant information regarding your request except for
documents provided to us by the Social Investment Authority (SIA). In ordinary
circumstances, it would be necessary under section 14 of the OIA to transfer your
request to SIA to respond. However, we are aware that you have already made your
request to SIA and therefore we have not transferred it.
Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) may be published on
the Treasury website.
This reply addresses the information you requested. Under section 28(3) of the OIA,
you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any decisions made under this
request.
Yours sincerely
Chris Brunt
Unit Manager (Acting), Public Finance and Value for Money
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