[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
3/03/2026
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
ADHDInquiryNZ
[FYI request #33057 email]
Tēnā koe Elspeth
OIA: GEMS-46064 – ADHD Policy, Learning Support, PLD, Data and System Oversight
Thank you for your email of 30 November 2025 to the Ministry of Education requesting the
information attached as an annex below.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
In response to
part one of your request, the Ministry does not have any documents that identify a
team, unit or role with specific responsibility for ADHD policy, learning support, classroom practice,
PLD/workforce capability, data monitoring or cross-agency.
I am therefore refusing
part one of
your request under section 18(e) of the Act as the documents do not exist or, despite reasonable
efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Access to our learning support services and supports are not reliant on a diagnosis. Our service
are needs based – ADHD as a label does not specifically identify the needs of a young person in
the context in which they live and learn. A diagnosis is also not something that all whānau wish to
explore nor is it something that is financially viable for many families. Not all ākonga who may – or
may not - have a diagnosis of ADHD would receive or need the same thing. So based on a needs
based system, equity and respect for worldviews, diagnosis is not part of access to support.
The Ministry provides a range of Early Childhood Education and School-based supports to children
with additional learning needs. Learning Support Coordinators and others in Learning Support
roles can access resources and information through engagement in the Learning Support Network.
This Network is funded through the Ministry of Education and run by Massey University. It provides
learning support practitioners with a number of ways to engage in learning, including topics such
as ADHD. There are curated resources, webinars, short courses and opportunities for networking.
All schools have an operation grant with opportunities to fund PLD. They may choose to engage in
PLD around ADHD by contracting in an organisation to work with their staff. This would likely be
based around the identified needs of a learning context. However, state and state integrated
schools also have free access to the Ministry of Education Learning Support Specialist and
Specialist Teachers like Resource teachers Learning and Behaviour. These specialists are also
able to work with schools on topic where there are identified needs and ADHD may be one of
those topics. This might be whole school, small group PLD or for teams who are working with a
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
young person who has a particular need that may be related to ADHD. How this is captured in our
system is how it is coded against a service – not a diagnosis.
The Ministry’s Early Intervention Services (EIS) work contributes to the broader neurodiversity
priority in the Learning Support Action Plan (2019-2025), which includes flexible supports for
diverse learners.
From an EIS perspective, our contribution is grounded in a strengths-based, needs-focused model
that supports learners and whānau from birth through to the end of Year 1. Access to EIS is not
diagnosis-dependent; instead, families, kaiako, and specialists work collaboratively to design
inclusive plans that build on each child’s strengths and aspirations. From 2026 the EIS has
expanded to the end of Year 1 at school, which ensures continuity of support during a critical
transition period, using nationally consistent tools to set measurable goals and monitor progress
across domains like belonging, routines and learning. This approach aligns with the national
practice framework for MInistry specialists and RTLB, He Pikorua. You can find more information
about He Pikorua and Te Tūāpapa
at https://hepikorua.education.govt.nz/he-pikorua/.
In response to
part two of your request, the Learning Support Action Plan (2019-2025) had a
priority around flexible supports for neurodiverse children and young people. Within the definition of
neurodiverse, ADHD was listed. The Ministry contracted CORE Education to develop learning
modules for schools that went from the premise that flexible supports start with inclusive design.
The three modules (10 workshops) work through understanding diversity, leading a culture of
inclusion, removing barriers to learning, embedding a universal design for learning approach from
the outset. These modules are housed on the Inclusive Education website.
https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/planning-for-diversity/
The National Support and Guidance team in Learning Support has had oversight of the Inclusive
Education website – this has a guide specifically related to ADHD and Learning
https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/adhd-and-learning/. It is designed to support teachers to learn
more about ADHD and to create inclusive learning experiences through a Universal Design for
Learning lens – i.e. address the barriers that are created in learning experiences that impact on
how ākonga engage in learning, process information and show what they know and can do.
In response to
part three of your request, the Ministry does not hold any information specifically
related to ADHD in Initial Teacher Education or ongoing professional learning and development
programmes. The Ministry also does not hold any evaluations, reviews or feedback related to
ADHD-support or capabilities. I am therefore refusing
part three of your request under section
18(e) of the Act.
In response to
part four of your request, as stated above, learning support services and supports
are not reliant on a diagnosis therefore ADHD data is not collected, tracked or held in aggregate by
the Ministry. I am therefore refusing
part four of your request under section 18(g) of the Act as the
information is not held by the Ministry and I have no grounds for believing that it is held by another
agency subject to the Act.
In response to
part five of your request, the Ministry has not produced, commissioned or
contributed to any IDI based analysis of ADHD in education and has no current plans to do so.
There are no documents held by the Ministry in relation to IDI analysis of ADHD within the IDI
datasets. I am therefore refusing
part five of your request under section 18(e) of the Act.
OIA: GEMS-46064
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Regarding
part six of your request, funding spent on specific ADHD-related initiatives is limited to
the module and guidance provided on the Inclusive Education website, as described in our
response to
part two of your request above. However, as the contract for this work related to the
development of a broader suite of Inclusive Education resources and maintenance of the Inclusive
Education website, the Ministry is unable to identify the funding amount relating only to the ADHD
module. I am therefore refusing
part six of your request under section 18(g) of the Act, as above.
In response to
part seven of your request, the Ministry has not produced assessments, reviews or
advice that addresses the rights of students with ADHD. The Ministry has has not applied Māori
data governance frameworks of Māori equity considerations to ADHD-related information. No data
related to students with ADHD and other equity indicators is collected, tracked and held in
aggregate by the Ministry. I am therefore refusing
part seven of your request under section 18(g)
of the Act.
In response to
part eight of your request, this has been answered in relation to each part of the
request above.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your name and
contact details will be removed.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Rachael Vink
Acting General Manager, System Design and Practice
Te Pou Taunaki | Learning Support
OIA: GEMS-46064
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Annex: Original OIA request
Time period: This request covers the period 1 January 2015 to the date this request is
received.
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
OIA: GEMS-46064
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
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.
OIA: GEMS-46064
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
