22 - ADHD Research Funding, Prioritisation, and Equity Gaps
Elspeth Baker-Vevers made this Official Information request to Health Research Council of New Zealand
Currently waiting for a response from Health Research Council of New Zealand, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: Elspeth Baker-Vevers
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 seeks information held by your agency to help understand how ADHD is recognised within publicly funded health research. The information gathered will 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 understand the agency’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 clarification would assist, please contact me as early as possible. If an extension under s 15A is required, please specify the reason and duration.
Timeframe: This request covers the period 1 January 2015 to the date this request is received.
Format: Where datasets, funding lists, or assessment records are released, please provide them in machine-readable format (CSV or original spreadsheet format) along with any data dictionaries or field definitions.
Scope clarification
I am not seeking internal drafts or email chains unless they are the only record of the substantive information described.
Please provide:
1. ADHD related Research Funding (2015–present)
-Any funded projects, grants, or proposals that explicitly reference ADHD.
-Any declined proposals involving ADHD (with personal identifiers redacted under s 9(2)(a)).
-Any analysis or records describing the demographic focus of ADHD-related research (e.g., tamariki Māori, Pacific children, women/girls, Rainbow+/Takatāpui populations).
2. Prioritisation & Assessment Criteria
-Any correspondence, internal advice, or assessment criteria describing how ADHD-related research is prioritised within HRC funding streams (e.g., Project Grants, Emerging Researcher Grants, Programme Grants).
-Any documents describing how equity considerations, particularly for Māori, Pacific peoples, women and girls, and Rainbow+/Takatāpui communities, are applied when assessing ADHD-related proposals.
-Any advice or criteria relating to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori health advancement, or Pacific health equity in relation to ADHD research proposals.
3. Analysis of Research Gaps
-Any reports, briefings, or internal analysis noting gaps in ADHD research compared with other neurodevelopmental or mental-health conditions.
-Any analysis describing known or potential inequities in ADHD outcomes or research representation for Māori, Pacific peoples, women and girls, and Rainbow+/Takatāpui populations.
4. Category Placement
If ADHD is not treated as a distinct research area:
-Please confirm this, and state under which categories ADHD-related research would usually be classified (e.g., mental health, child development, neurodevelopmental disorders, psychopharmacology).
-Please identify any implications for visibility, prioritisation, or reporting of ADHD research.
5. Additional Documentation
-Any analysis, advice, or data your agency holds relating to ADHD research populations, including where ADHD is included as a subgroup or secondary analysis within larger studies.
-Any ethical-committee guidance, briefing notes, or consultation documents relevant to ADHD-related health research, including any that relate to Māori, Pacific, women/girls, or Rainbow+/Takatāpui communities.
If information is not held
If the HRC does not hold some or all of the information requested, this absence itself helps clarify how ADHD is prioritised and tracked within national health research. Identifying such gaps is part of understanding systemic visibility issues.
Please confirm if information is not held, and include any documents or correspondence recording:
-decisions not to fund, monitor, or prioritise ADHD-related research; or
-decisions to classify ADHD research under broader categories.
Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
From: OIA
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Kia ora Elspeth,
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 1 December 2025, as per your email below.
The HRC is working to identify what information we hold in relation to the below request and will respond as soon as possible and in any event no later than 20 January 2026, being 20 working days after the day your request was received. Please note that this includes the summer shut down period for OIAs, which runs from 25 December to 15 January. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
In responding to your request, we will conduct a search of our database for proposals with the following terms in the titles, lay summaries, or keywords:
- ADHD
- Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder
- Neurodiversity
- Neurodevelopmental condition(s)
We would like to confirm whether this covers the scope of your request or if there are other keywords you would like us to include in the search.
Ngâ mihi nui,
OIA Requests
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
PO Box 5541, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Email: [email address] | http://www.hrc.govt.nz/
Twitter: twitter.com/hrcnewzealand
-----Original Message-----
From: Elspeth Baker-Vevers <[FOI #33071 email]>
Sent: Monday, 1 December 2025 12:30 am
To: info <[HRC request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - 22 - ADHD Research Funding, Prioritisation, and Equity Gaps
[You don't often get email from [FOI #33071 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
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 seeks information held by your agency to help understand how ADHD is recognised within publicly funded health research. The information gathered will 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 understand the agency’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 clarification would assist, please contact me as early as possible. If an extension under s 15A is required, please specify the reason and duration.
Timeframe: This request covers the period 1 January 2015 to the date this request is received.
Format: Where datasets, funding lists, or assessment records are released, please provide them in machine-readable format (CSV or original spreadsheet format) along with any data dictionaries or field definitions.
Scope clarification
I am not seeking internal drafts or email chains unless they are the only record of the substantive information described.
Please provide:
1. ADHD related Research Funding (2015–present) -Any funded projects, grants, or proposals that explicitly reference ADHD.
-Any declined proposals involving ADHD (with personal identifiers redacted under s 9(2)(a)).
-Any analysis or records describing the demographic focus of ADHD-related research (e.g., tamariki Mâori, Pacific children, women/girls, Rainbow+/Takatâpui populations).
2. Prioritisation & Assessment Criteria
-Any correspondence, internal advice, or assessment criteria describing how ADHD-related research is prioritised within HRC funding streams (e.g., Project Grants, Emerging Researcher Grants, Programme Grants).
-Any documents describing how equity considerations, particularly for Mâori, Pacific peoples, women and girls, and Rainbow+/Takatâpui communities, are applied when assessing ADHD-related proposals.
-Any advice or criteria relating to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Mâori health advancement, or Pacific health equity in relation to ADHD research proposals.
3. Analysis of Research Gaps
-Any reports, briefings, or internal analysis noting gaps in ADHD research compared with other neurodevelopmental or mental-health conditions.
-Any analysis describing known or potential inequities in ADHD outcomes or research representation for Mâori, Pacific peoples, women and girls, and Rainbow+/Takatâpui populations.
4. Category Placement
If ADHD is not treated as a distinct research area:
-Please confirm this, and state under which categories ADHD-related research would usually be classified (e.g., mental health, child development, neurodevelopmental disorders, psychopharmacology).
-Please identify any implications for visibility, prioritisation, or reporting of ADHD research.
5. Additional Documentation
-Any analysis, advice, or data your agency holds relating to ADHD research populations, including where ADHD is included as a subgroup or secondary analysis within larger studies.
-Any ethical-committee guidance, briefing notes, or consultation documents relevant to ADHD-related health research, including any that relate to Mâori, Pacific, women/girls, or Rainbow+/Takatâpui communities.
If information is not held
If the HRC does not hold some or all of the information requested, this absence itself helps clarify how ADHD is prioritised and tracked within national health research. Identifying such gaps is part of understanding systemic visibility issues.
Please confirm if information is not held, and include any documents or correspondence recording:
-decisions not to fund, monitor, or prioritise ADHD-related research; or -decisions to classify ADHD research under broader categories.
Ngâ mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
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The views expressed in this e-mail and any corresponding attachments do not necessarily reflect those of the Health Research Council of New Zealand. This e-mail together with any accompanying attachments may be confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and note that you may not copy, disclose or use the content in any way
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From: Elspeth Baker-Vevers
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email and for checking the search terms.
Yes, please include the terms you listed. To ensure relevant ADHD-related proposals are captured, could you also include the following additional terms where they appear in titles, lay summaries, keywords, or classification fields:
-inattention
-hyperactivity
-impulsivity
-externalising disorders
-executive function / executive dysfunction
-stimulant medication (e.g., methylphenidate, dexamfetamine)
-neurodevelopmental disorders (broader categorisation)
-behavioural disorders (where used for ADHD-adjacent classifications)
These additions are only intended to ensure the search captures proposals where ADHD is discussed within broader neurodevelopmental or behavioural contexts.
Ngā mihi nui,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
From: OIA
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Many thanks, we will include those search terms as well.
Ngā mihi nui,
OIA Requests
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
PO Box 5541, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Email: [email address] | http://www.hrc.govt.nz/
Twitter: twitter.com/hrcnewzealand
-----Original Message-----
From: Elspeth Baker-Vevers <[FOI #33071 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 3 December 2025 3:52 pm
To: OIA <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - 22 - ADHD Research Funding, Prioritisation, and Equity Gaps
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email and for checking the search terms.
Yes, please include the terms you listed. To ensure relevant ADHD-related proposals are captured, could you also include the following additional terms where they appear in titles, lay summaries, keywords, or classification fields:
-inattention
-hyperactivity
-impulsivity
-externalising disorders
-executive function / executive dysfunction -stimulant medication (e.g., methylphenidate, dexamfetamine) -neurodevelopmental disorders (broader categorisation) -behavioural disorders (where used for ADHD-adjacent classifications)
These additions are only intended to ensure the search captures proposals where ADHD is discussed within broader neurodevelopmental or behavioural contexts.
Ngā mihi nui,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers
-----Original Message-----
Kia ora Elspeth,
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 1 December 2025, as per your email below.
The HRC is working to identify what information we hold in relation to the below request and will respond as soon as possible and in any event no later than 20 January 2026, being 20 working days after the day your request was received. Please note that this includes the summer shut down period for OIAs, which runs from 25 December to 15 January. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
In responding to your request, we will conduct a search of our database for proposals with the following terms in the titles, lay summaries, or keywords:
- ADHD
- Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder
- Neurodiversity
- Neurodevelopmental condition(s)
We would like to confirm whether this covers the scope of your request or if there are other keywords you would like us to include in the search.
Ngâ mihi nui,
OIA Requests
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa
PO Box 5541, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Email: [email address] | http://www.hrc.govt.nz/
Twitter: twitter.com/hrcnewzealand
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #33071 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
P please consider the environment before you print this email
________________________________
The views expressed in this e-mail and any corresponding attachments do not necessarily reflect those of the Health Research Council of New Zealand. This e-mail together with any accompanying attachments may be confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and note that you may not copy, disclose or use the content in any way
Thank You.
________________________________
This email has been filtered by SMX. For more information visit smxemail.com<http://smxemail.com/>
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