Kia ora,

I’m making this Official Information Act request as part of ADHDInquiryNZ, a grassroots, unfunded, and non-partisan volunteer initiative supporting a public petition calling for a Parliamentary inquiry into systemic harm to people with ADHD in Aotearoa. This request focuses on information held by your agency to help identify how ADHD is currently recognised within existing systems. The information gathered from this and related requests will help identify patterns across agencies and contribute to evidence provided to the Petitions Committee when the petition period closes. I appreciate the time involved in OIA responses.

Please treat this as a request for official information under the OIA. I am requesting the specific information listed below. I understand the Ministry’s obligation to assist under s 13 and that a decision should be made within 20 working days of receipt (or transfer within 10 working days). If any part of this request requires clarification, please let me know no later than 5 working days from receipt. If an extension under s 15A is needed, please state the reason and duration. This request is confined to information held by the Ministry of Education; please do not transfer for commentary.

Time period: This request covers the period 1 January 2015 to the date this request is received.

Format: Where datasets, tables, or modelling outputs are provided, I request they be supplied in machine-readable format (CSV or original spreadsheet file), along with any data dictionaries or field definitions.

Scope clarification to reduce unnecessary work
To streamline this request, I am not seeking internal email chains or drafts unless they are the only record of the substantive information described.

If any part of this request is likely to be refused under s 18(f) due to substantial collation, please identify that specific part early so I can refine it.

Please provide:

1. Leadership / Ownership

Any documents identifying which teams, units, or roles within the Ministry hold responsibility for ADHD-related:
-policy
-learning support
-classroom practice
-PLD / workforce capability
-data monitoring
-cross-agency coordination

If no single responsible team or function exists, please confirm this.

2. Policy, Guidance, and Learning Support

Any policies, guidance, frameworks, or internal documents since 2015 that mention ADHD in relation to:
-learning support
-behavioural guidance
-inclusive education
-supports for teachers, schools, and whānau
-the RTLB service or Learning Support Coordinators
-School level interventions or funding streams

If ADHD is grouped under another category (e.g., “behaviour”, “additional learning needs”, “neurodiversity”, “disability”), please specify which.

3. Initial Teacher Education & PLD / Workforce Capability

a. Initial Teacher Education (ITE)
Any MoE-held information or assessments describing expectations communicated to ITE providers regarding ADHD-specific content or competencies (for example, in relation to learning support, inclusion, or behaviour).

b. Professional Learning and Development (PLD)
Any PLD programmes, contracts, resources, or initiatives (2015–present) that include ADHD awareness, ADHD-inclusive practice, or closely related neurodevelopmental content.

c. Evaluation / Feedback
Any evaluations, reviews, or feedback about:
-teachers’ preparedness to support learners with ADHD, and/or
-the effectiveness of PLD or workforce capability initiatives that include ADHD or closely related content.

If ADHD is not mentioned in ITE-related expectations or PLD materials, please confirm this.

4. Data & Monitoring

a. Monitoring of outcomes
Any reports, dashboards, metadata, or documentation on methods the Ministry uses to monitor outcomes for students with ADHD, including (where available):
-participation / attendance
-disciplinary actions (suspensions, stand-downs, exclusions)
-NCEA or other attainment
-transitions and early leaving
-Learning Support involvement

b. Tracking and categorisation
Please confirm whether ADHD is currently tracked in:
-Learning Support data
-ORS (Ongoing Resourcing Scheme)
-school-based data collections
-any internal monitoring sets

If ADHD is not tracked as a separate category, please confirm how it is categorised (e.g., behaviour, health condition, disability, learning support need).

5. IDI Evidence and Education Outcomes
Given the 2025 University of Otago findings that ADHD can be identified within IDI datasets:

a. Has the Ministry produced, commissioned, or contributed to any IDI based analysis of ADHD in education?
b. If not, please confirm whether any such work is planned or under discussion.
c. Any documents or correspondence discussing the Ministry’s response to, or planned use of, this research.

6. Funding
Any information identifying funding allocated or spent specifically on ADHD-related:
-initiatives
-PLD
-learning support
-system improvements
-pilots or capability projects

Please exclude autism-specific or broad neurodiversity initiatives unless ADHD is explicitly named.

7. Rights, Equity, and Compliance

Any assessments, reviews, or advice produced since 2015 that address whether students with ADHD are having their rights upheld under:

-the Education and Training Act 2020
-the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC / UNCROC)
-the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
-the Human Rights Act 1993
-the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (s 19, freedom from discrimination)

If any Māori data governance frameworks or Māori equity considerations were applied when deciding whether to collect, categorise, or monitor ADHD-related information, please provide the relevant documents.

Please include any analysis or data (if held) relating to gender, culture/ethnicity, or Rainbow+/Takatāpui equity for students with ADHD, or confirm if such data are not collected or are not reported separately.

8. Gaps / Non-collection

If the Ministry does not hold some or all of the information requested, this absence also helps clarify how ADHD is currently tracked and managed within the education system.

Please confirm if the information is not held, and include any documents recording:
-decisions not to collect ADHD related information
-decisions to categorise ADHD under another label (e.g., behaviour, disability, health, SEN)
-known limitations in data, tracking, or reporting relating to ADHD.

Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers