19 June 2026
Jamie Robinson
[FYI request #34817 email]
Tēnā koe Jamie Robinson
Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 30 May 2026, requesting information regarding Autism
Spectrum Disorder (Autism) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
among Disability Support Services (DSS) clients.
I have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Please find my decision on each part of your request set out separately below.
•
Does the DSS client administrative system record any secondary or co-
occurring disabilities or diagnoses in addition to a client's principal disability?
•
If secondary or co-occurring conditions are not recorded in the system,
please simply confirm that, so that I understand the information does not
exist rather than being withheld.
For all individuals allocated support through a Needs Assessment and Service
Coordination provider (NASC), their record in the DSS client database includes all
reported disabilities. The database categorises disabilities as either “principal” or
“non-principal”; as it does not use the terms “co-occurring” or “secondary”.
A principal disability is one that qualifies the individual for DSS funding under a
specific service line. A non-principal disability is one that either does not meet the
eligibility criteria for DSS funding or is not relevant to the particular service line
being allocated.
As an example, a person may have both a physical and an intellectual disability,
and each may independently qualify them for DSS support as a principal disability.
However, if the person receives DSS funding for mobility aids relating to their
physical disability, the database record for that particular service line will identify
the physical disability as the principal disability and the intellectual disability as
non-principal.
•
If it does:
o
How many DSS clients in the 2023/24 financial year have both
intellectual disability and autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder) recorded?
o
Is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) recorded anywhere in
the client record as a secondary or co-occurring condition? If so, how
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
many clients with a principal disability of intellectual disability also have
an ADHD notation?
Both Autism and ADHD are recorded disabilities in the DSS database and can be
recorded on a person’s record. Please refer to the below
Appendix for the total
number of people allocated DSS support in financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25
who have both an intellectual disability and Autism recorded or have both an
intellectual disability and ADHD recorded.
I will be publishing this decision letter, with your personal details deleted, on the
Ministry’s website in due course.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email]. If you are not satisfied with my decision on your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to
make a complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
pp.
Anna Graham
General Manager Ministerial and Executive Services
Appendix
People Allocated Support with an Intellectual Disability and Autistic Spectrum Disorder/ADHD
Financial Year
Category
Total People
Percentage
2023/24
Total People Allocated Support
54,063
100.00%
People with an Intellectual Disability
32,009
59.21%
People with Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder
7,444
13.77%
People with an Intellectual Disability and ADHD
2,205
4.08%
2024/25
Total People Allocated Support
56,582
100.00%
People with an Intellectual Disability
32,812
57.99%
People with Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder
8,025
14.18%
People with an Intellectual Disability and ADHD
2,294
4.05%
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
