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 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 NZQA; please do not transfer for commentary.

Timeframe: This request covers the period 1 January 2018 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.

Scope clarification to reduce unnecessary work
To streamline this request, I am not seeking:
-internal email chains
-drafts
-personal information about individuals
unless these are the sole 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 part early so I can refine it.

Please provide:

1. Policy and guidance
Any NZQA guidance, policy, or internal criteria since 2015 that refers to ADHD in relation to Special Assessment Conditions (SAC).

2. SAC data
Any aggregated data (2018–present) on SAC applications approved or declined where ADHD is cited as the:
-primary reason, or
-a contributing factor.

3. Equity and barriers
Any correspondence, briefing material, or analysis discussing:
-barriers to accessing SAC for learners with ADHD
-equity concerns
-cultural safety issues
-consistency of decision-making across schools

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.

4. Categorisation
If no ADHD specific information is held, please confirm how such cases are categorised within SAC records (for example, whether they are grouped under broader categories such as “learning difficulty”, “neurodiversity”, or “other”).

If information is not held
If NZQA does not hold some or all of the requested information, please confirm this and include any:
-documents recording a decision not to collect ADHD specific data
-guidance showing how ADHD related cases are coded or categorised

Ngā mihi,
Elspeth Baker-Vevers