DOIA REQ 0024766 Elspeth Baker Vevers Response.pdf

20 January 2026

Ref: DOIA-REQ-0024766-Elspeth Baker-Vevers

Elspeth Baker-Vevers
ADHDInquiryNZ
Email: [FYI request #33092 email]S

Tēnā koe Elspeth Baker-Vevers

Thank you for your request via FYI of 2 December 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innovafion and
Employment (MBIE) requesfing, under the Oﬃcial Informafion Act 1982 (the Act), for informafion related
to Aftenfion Deﬁcit Hyperacfive Disorder (ADHD) and/or neurodivergence recognifion within the exisfing
system. Your full request is included as Appendix A.

MBIE appreciates your organisafions interest in supporfing those with ADHD. ADHD in the workplace is an
emerging area of focus. At this stage, MBIE has not developed speciﬁc employment policy and guidance
relafing to ADHD in the workplace.

Therefore, MBIE is refusing al parts of your request (one to four) under secfion 18(e) of the Act, as the
document(s) al eged to contain the informafion requested does not exist or, despite reasonable eﬀorts to
locate it, cannot be found.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact [email address].

You have the right to seek an invesfigafion and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Informafion
about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.

Nāku noa, nā

Bridget Duley
Manager, Employment Relafions Policy
Workplace Relafions and Safety Policy

Appendix A
I’m making this Oﬃcial Informafion Act request as part of ADHDInquiryNZ, a grassroots, unfunded, and
non-parfisan volunteer inifiafive supporfing a public pefifion cal ing for a Parliamentary inquiry into
systemic harm to people with ADHD in Aotearoa. This request focuses on informafion held by your agency
to help idenfify how ADHD is currently recognised within exisfing systems. The informafion gathered from
this and related requests wil be used to help idenfify any pafterns across agencies and wil contribute to
the evidence provided to the Pefifions Commiftee when the pefifion period closes. I appreciate the fime
involved in OIA responses.

Please treat this as a request for oﬃcial informafion under the OIA. I understand the agency’s obligafion to
assist under s 13 and that a decision should be made within 20 working days of receipt (with any transfer
within 10 working days). If any part of this request requires clariﬁcafion, 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 durafion.
This request is conﬁned to informafion held by MBIE; please do not transfer for commentary.

Please provide the fol owing informafion (2018–present):

1. Considerafion of a Posifive Duty
Any papers, brieﬁngs, advice, or correspondence that consider introducing a posifive duty or proacfive
employer obligafion relafing to disability inclusion, neuroinclusion, or accessibility within the Employment
Relafions Act 2000, the Human Rights Act 1993, or related employment legislafion.

If none exist, please conﬁrm this.

2. Internafional Comparisons
Any analyses comparing New Zealand’s current anfi-discriminafion or employment framework with
overseas models that include a posifive duty or proacfive obligafion, for example:
-the UK Equality Act 2010
-the Australian Disability Discriminafion Act 1992
-any other relevant internafional approaches.

If none exist, please conﬁrm this.

3. Neuroinclusion, Accommodafions, and Proacfive Obligafions
Any guidance, internal advice, policy work, or Ministerial brieﬁngs that reference:
-“neuroinclusion”, “neurodiversity”, or “ADHD”
-reasonable accommodafions / workplace adjustments
-proacfive employer responsibilifies
-reducing reliance on complaint-driven mechanisms for disabled or neurodivergent workers.

If none exist, please conﬁrm this.

4. Cross-Agency Engagement
Any correspondence or work programmes with the Human Rights Commission, WorkSafe NZ, Whaikaha,
MSD, or disability/neurodiversity advocacy organisafions relafing to proacfive employer obligafions,
posifive dufies, workplace accessibility, or neuroinclusion.

If none exist, please conﬁrm this.

Format: Where datasets or tables are provided, please supply them in machine-readable format (CSV or
original spreadsheet ﬁle) with any available data dicfionaries or ﬁeld deﬁnifions.

If informafion is not held
If your agency does not hold some or al of the informafion requested, that absence itself helps clarify how
ADHD and neurodivergence are currently recognised within employment policy and regulatory seftings.
Idenfifying such gaps is part of building the evidence base for an informed, coordinated response.

Please conﬁrm if the informafion is not held, and include any exisfing documents or correspondence that
record a decision not to collect, analyse, or monitor work in this area. If applicable, please indicate how
related mafters are categorised (for example, under disability, mental health, workplace wel being, or
diversity and inclusion).