Tēnā koe Elspeth

Thank you for your Official Information Act request received by WorkSafe New Zealand on 1 December 2025.

We will respond to your request in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act as soon as reasonably practicable and not later than 20 working days.

If we need to extend this timeframe, we will let you know before that date with the reasons why.

Please contact [email address] if you have any questions.

Ngā mihi,

Ministerial Services
8 Willis Street
Wellington
W    worksafe.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: Elspeth Baker-Vevers <[FOI #33069 email]>
Sent: Monday, 1 December 2025 12:18 am
To: Ministerial Services – WorkSafe <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - 20 - ADHD and Psychosocial Risk / Work Wellbeing

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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 understand the agency’s obligation to assist under s 13, and that a decision should be made within 20 working days of receipt (and any transfer made 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 WorkSafe New Zealand; please do not transfer for commentary.

Timeframe: 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. A machine-readable format is requested to minimise collation and preserve original structure.

Scope clarification to reduce unnecessary work:
To streamline this request, I am not seeking internal email chains, drafts, or personal information about individuals unless they are the only holders 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. Any policy, guidance, or risk assessment materials since 2015 that mention ADHD in relation to psychosocial risk, mental health, worker wellbeing, or worker impairment.

2. Any documents, internal notes, or guidance since 2015 that discuss ADHD in relation to “worker impairment,” “human factors risk,” “cognitive load,” “attention-based impairment,” or other terminology WorkSafe uses when assessing psychosocial or mental-health-related risk.

3. Any documents or correspondence linking ADHD to work-related stress, burnout, wellbeing, safety outcomes, or performance impairment.

4. Any data, case studies, or aggregated information about ADHD or neurodivergence in WorkSafe investigations, assessments, or education campaigns (personal information is not required; anonymised or redacted material is acceptable).

5. Any public education, awareness, compliance, or guidance materials since 2015 relating to ADHD, neurodiversity, or psychosocial risk in the workplace. If none exist, please confirm this.

6. Any analysis, advice, or documents since 2015 discussing neurodiversity (including ADHD) as a workplace health and safety factor, risk, or equity consideration.

7. Documentation showing how WorkSafe categorises ADHD (for example: under neurodiversity, mental health, disability, worker impairment, or psychosocial risk).

8. Any involvement by WorkSafe in cross-agency initiatives relating to neurodiversity, workplace mental health, worker impairment, or workforce wellbeing where ADHD is mentioned or relevant.

If information is not held
If your agency does not hold some or all of the information requested, that absence also helps clarify how ADHD is currently recognised within workplace health and safety systems. Identifying such gaps is part of building the evidence base for an informed, coordinated response.

Please confirm if the information is not held by your agency, and include any existing documents or correspondence that record a decision not to collect, analyse, or monitor ADHD related information. If applicable, please indicate how related matters are categorised (for example, under neurodiversity, psychosocial risk, mental health, worker impairment, or disability).

Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #33069 email]

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If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of WorkSafe New Zealand. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this message in error and that any use is strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your computer.
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Kia ora Elspeth,

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act request (attached).

 

Can you please confirm are you interested in WorkSafe’s responses as the
regulator only?

 

From reading your request this is the impression I have formed but some of
the questions could be read as also applying to WorkSafe’s role as an
employer.

 

Thank you for replying.

 

Please note, any clarification or amendment of a request is considered to
be a new request for the purpose of calculating the maximum statutory
timeframe for response—see section 15(1AA) of the Official Information
Act.

 

 

Ngā mihi

Fiona

 

Ministerial Services 

8 Willis Street 

Wellington 

W    [1]worksafe.govt.nz 

[2][IMG]  [3][IMG]  [4][IMG]  [5][IMG]

[6][IMG]

 

 

 

[7]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

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Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of
WorkSafe New Zealand. This message and any files transmitted with it are
confidential and solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are
not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivery to the
intended recipient, be advised that you have received this message in
error and that any use is strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender
and delete the message and any attachment from your computer.

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