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 that any transfer must occur 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 MBIE; please do not transfer for commentary.

This request relates to MBIE’s system-level responsibilities for employment law, workplace rights, employer obligations, labour market policy, mediation services, and workplace health and safety guidance (via Employment New Zealand and related MBIE business units).

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. Employment Policy and Guidance
Any employment, workplace-rights, employer-obligations, or compliance materials since 2015 that specifically mention ADHD.

This includes material produced by:
-Employment New Zealand
-Labour Inspectorate
-Mediation Services
-Employment Relations policy teams
-MBIE Inclusion & Diversity or Workforce policy teams.

2. Accommodations and Legal Frameworks
Any advice, guidance, analysis, or briefing material on:
-reasonable accommodation or workplace adjustments for people with ADHD
-whether ADHD is treated as a “disability” or “health condition” under employment law
-prohibited discrimination grounds (Human Rights Act, Employment Relations Act)
-whether employers have a proactive duty to provide accommodations
-whether workers with ADHD must rely on complaint-driven processes after harm.

3. Workplace Disputes, Mediation, and Outcomes
Any correspondence, reports, or analysis linking ADHD to:
-employment relationship problems
-mediation outcomes
-unjustified dismissal claims
-adverse action linked to neurodivergence
-workplace harm or disadvantage
-employment complaints involving disability or accommodation failures.

(Identifying information is not sought; anonymised or aggregated information is sufficient.)

4. Research, Equity, and Frameworks
Any MBIE, Employment NZ, or policy branch documents since 2015 that discuss ADHD within:
-disability employment policy
-mental health in the workplace
-neurodiversity inclusion
-workforce equity frameworks or diversity strategies.

Please also provide any analysis, data, or modelling on:
-income, pay-equity, or labour-market disparities for people with ADHD
-comparisons with other neurodivergent or disability cohorts.

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.

5. Employer and Public-Facing Information
Any information, guidance, campaigns, online content, or resources since 2015 that include ADHD-related workplace guidance.

This includes:
-Employment New Zealand website content
-Small-business guidance (including through Business.govt.nz)
-Employer compliance materials
-Sector campaigns, toolkits, or model policies.

If none exist, please confirm this.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation
Any evaluation, monitoring, or performance reports since 2015 that measure:
-ADHD-related outcomes
-accessibility or accommodation trends
-neurodivergent worker participation
-systemic barriers affecting ADHD within employment systems.

If none exist, please confirm this.

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 and employment 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 or monitor ADHD-related information. If applicable, please also indicate how related matters are categorised (for example: neurodiversity, mental health, disability, or workplace health).

Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers