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 be used to help identify any patterns across agencies and will contribute to the 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 agency’s obligation to assist under s 13 and that a decision should be made within 20 working days of receipt (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. I request release in machine-readable format where available. This request is confined to information held by your agency; please do not transfer for commentary.

This request covers the period from July 2022 (Whaikaha’s establishment) to the date this request is received.

Please provide:

1. Definition and Eligibility
Any policy, eligibility criteria, operational guidance, or internal documentation that addresses whether and how ADHD is included, recognised, or considered within disability supports administered, funded, or overseen by Whaikaha.

For clarity, this request includes ADHD-specific information and any related material that Whaikaha may categorise under broader neurodevelopmental, behavioural, learning-difficulty, or co-occurring disability groupings where relevant to ADHD recognition or service design.

This includes any information or criteria that recognise intersectional neurodivergence (for example, ADHD alongside autism, intellectual disability, learning disability, or mental health conditions) where that affects eligibility, prioritisation, or support design.

2. Advice and Consultation
Any internal advice, cross-agency briefings, correspondence, or consultation records relating to ADHD or intersectional neurodivergent cohorts (for example, ADHD alongside other learning, developmental, or mental health conditions), including engagement with:

-Māori providers or iwi
-Pacific providers
-Rainbow+/Takatāpui communities
-Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs)
-disability advocacy NGOs
-private service providers or contractors
-consumer, advocacy, or lived-experience groups

If no such engagement has occurred, please confirm this.

2A. Advisory groups of disabled people
Please provide any documents, minutes, summaries, or correspondence relating to advisory groups or panels composed of disabled people that contributed to policy, service design, consultation, or accessibility decisions relevant to ADHD.

3. Cross-Agency Role and Coordination

Any documents or correspondence describing Whaikaha’s role in:
-co-ordinating ADHD related policy,
-contributing to ADHD related service design, or
-supporting cross-agency work with Health, Education, MSD, or Justice.

If Whaikaha does not hold a co-ordinating role for ADHD, please confirm this.

4. Rights and Compliance
Any assessments, reviews, or advice since 2022 relating to how ADHD is considered within Whaikaha’s responsibilities under:

-the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD);
-the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;
-the Human Rights Act 1993 (disability discrimination).

Please confirm if no such assessments exist.

5. Data Visibility and Monitoring
Please provide any information, guidance, or data dictionaries your agency holds that describe how ADHD is recognised, coded, or tracked within disability, health, or social-sector datasets since July 2022.

If ADHD is grouped within a broader category (for example, neurodevelopmental, behavioural, mental health, or learning difficulty), please specify which category is used.

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

Please also provide any analysis or data your agency holds relating to:
• Māori, Pacific, or Rainbow+/Takatāpui disabled people with ADHD; and
• intersectional neurodivergent cohorts, such as ADHD alongside other neurodevelopmental or physical disabilities.

If such information is not collected or cannot be disaggregated, please confirm this.

6. Disability Strategy Refresh
Please provide any documents, drafts, advice, consultation summaries, internal planning materials, timelines, equity analysis, or correspondence held relating to the Disability Strategy refresh and the development of the next Disability Strategy, including any material where ADHD is discussed in relation to neurodevelopmental disability or tāngata whaikaha Māori.

If the refresh has been delayed, paused, or reprioritised, please provide any documents recording these decisions.

If information is not held
The absence of information also helps clarify how ADHD is currently recognised and supported within disability systems. Please confirm where information is not held and include any documents or correspondence recording decisions not to collect or monitor ADHD related information.

Format: Where datasets are released, please provide them in machine readable format (CSV or original spreadsheet file) with accompanying data dictionaries or field definitions.

Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers