Email your MP

Stories don’t just describe systems. They change them.

Changes often start with conversations. When you email your local MP, you’re letting them know that an ADHD inquiry matters, and sharing a bit about why it’s important to you.

Where systemic harm can show up

You might want to share about harm you’ve experienced or seen, whether personally, as a parent, or through your work.
That harm can show up in many different systems, for example:

  • School or tertiary education
  • Workplace or job-seeking processes
  • Justice or corrections system
  • Health or mental health services
  • Social services and WINZ
  • Public understanding and stigma
  • Lack of support or accessibility
  • Misdiagnosis or late diagnosis
  • Medication shortages
  • No clear pathway or ongoing support after diagnosis

Education (school & tertiary)

  • Difficulties getting your needs recognised or taken seriously at school or university.
  • Support based only on behaviour, not understanding of ADHD.
  • Being stood down, suspended, or pushed out of learning spaces without real help.
  • Teachers or tutors not trained or resourced to support ADHD learners.
  • Deadlines, forms, and admin systems that rely heavily on executive function.

Employment (workplace & job-seeking)

  • Barriers in job applications or interviews due to misunderstanding ADHD traits.
  • Workplaces where flexibility or clarity is promised but not delivered.
  • Performance management or disciplinary processes that penalise ADHD traits.
  • Lack of accommodations like written instructions, task design, or quiet workspaces.
  • Challenges sustaining self-employment or small business due to system complexity.

Justice & Corrections

  • ADHD not recognised until after crisis or conviction.
  • Unfair treatment in court, police, or probation settings due to impulsivity or misunderstanding.
  • Processes that assume strong organisation and follow-up without support.
  • Missed opportunities for early intervention or diversion programmes.

Health & Mental Health

  • Difficulty accessing assessment, long waitlists, or high costs.
  • Misdiagnosis, late diagnosis, or fragmented care between providers.
  • Medication shortages or inconsistent prescribing and monitoring.
  • No clear pathway or ongoing support after diagnosis — not knowing what happens next or who can help.
  • Having to repeat your story to multiple professionals who don’t coordinate care.

Social Services & Income Support (WINZ, community supports)

  • Forms and systems that assume high executive function to complete or follow through.
  • Support staff or agencies not recognising ADHD as a valid need for flexibility or assistance.
  • Having to restart the process each time you change case managers or regions.
  • Limited support for parents or carers navigating multiple agencies for ADHD children.

Culture, Equity & Public Understanding

  • Stigma or stereotypes shaping how you’re treated at school, work, or by professionals.
  • Lack of neuro-affirming or ADHD-aware training in schools, health, and workplaces.
  • Language or cultural barriers that make it hard to get support that fits your values or identity.
  • Cultural and systemic inequities affecting your access, diagnosis, and outcomes.

Access & Design (digital & bureaucracy)

  • Government and service websites that time out, lose progress, or require repeated information.
  • Application forms, deadlines, and step-heavy processes that aren’t ADHD-friendly.
  • Services that don’t share information — you fall through gaps between systems.

Housing & Transport

  • Housing instability linked to executive-function challenges with forms, payments, or tenancy management.
  • Difficulty getting to appointments, work, or court due to unreliable transport or rural distance.
  • Lack of local services or outreach in smaller towns and rural areas.

After Diagnosis (pathway & coordination)

  • Feeling unsure what happens next after a diagnosis — no roadmap or point of contact.
  • Being given medication but little practical guidance on managing life with ADHD.
  • No one taking responsibility for coordinating support between services.


It can also happen in quieter ways — through inaccessible government forms, teacher or employer misunderstandings, or the daily exhaustion of navigating systems not built for ADHD brains.

You don’t need to cover everything — just a few sentences about what has been hardest or what you wish had been different can make your message powerful.

Find Your MP and Email Address

  1. Unsure of your electorate?
    Look it up by address here:
    🔗 vote.nz/maps/find-your-electorate
  2. Once you know your electorate, visit this page and click on your MP’s name to find their contact details:
    🔗 Members of Parliament – parliament.nz

Email Templates

Below are some templates you can copy, adapt, and send.

Subject: Support for an ADHD Inquiry

Kia ora / Hello [MP Name]

I live in [your suburb or town] and I’m writing to support the petition calling for a public inquiry into systemic harm to people with ADHD in Aotearoa.

[💬 You could add one or two short paragraphs about your experience, for example:
– How ADHD misunderstanding or stigma has affected you at school, work, or when using public services.
– The challenges of keeping work, study, or wellbeing stable when support isn’t consistent.
– The impact on your life or family when systems aren’t built for ADHD needs.]

There are about 280,000 people with ADHD in New Zealand. That’s 280,000 reasons to support an ADHD Inquiry. I am one of those 280,000 reasons.

An ADHD Inquiry would listen to and understand lived experience like mine.
It would look at what is happening across systems such as education, workplaces, justice, health, and others, and examine inequities.
It would use evidence to create and implement a cross-sector national ADHD strategy with coordinated funding.
It would also support research and public education, so future decisions are based on evidence, not assumptions.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on whether you would support an ADHD Inquiry.

Ngā mihi nui / Kind regards,
[your full name]
[your suburb or town]

Subject: Support for an ADHD Inquiry

Kia ora / Hello [MP Name],

I’m a parent or carer living in [your suburb or town]. I support the petition calling for a public inquiry into systemic harm to people with ADHD in Aotearoa.

[💬 You could include one or two short paragraphs about:
– How hard it’s been to get your child the right support at school, or how inconsistent the help has been.
– The stress on your whānau when services don’t talk to each other.
– How stigma, lack of training, or slow systems have affected your child’s confidence or wellbeing.]

There are about 280,000 people with ADHD in New Zealand. That’s 280,000 reasons to support an ADHD Inquiry. My whānau and I are among those 280,000 reasons.

An ADHD Inquiry would listen to and understand lived experience from families like ours.
It would look at what is happening across systems such as education, workplaces, justice, health, and others, and examine inequities.
It would use evidence to create and implement a cross-sector national ADHD strategy with coordinated funding.
It would also support research and public education, so future decisions are based on evidence, not assumptions.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on whether you would support an ADHD Inquiry.

Ngā mihi nui / Kind regards,
[your full name]
[your suburb or town]

Subject: Support for an ADHD Inquiry

Kia ora / Hello [MP Name],

I live in [your suburb or town] and I work with or alongside people with ADHD. I support the petition calling for a public inquiry into systemic harm to people with ADHD in Aotearoa.

[💬 You could include one or two short paragraphs about:
– The patterns you’ve seen in how ADHD is misunderstood or unsupported in your field.
– The barriers people face getting fair treatment, education, or work opportunities.
– Why a clear, joined-up approach to ADHD would make your work and people’s lives easier.]

There are about 280,000 people with ADHD in New Zealand. That’s 280,000 reasons to support an ADHD Inquiry. The people I work with are among those 280,000 reasons.

An ADHD Inquiry would listen to and understand lived experience across communities and professions.
It would look at what is happening across systems such as education, workplaces, justice, health, and others, and examine inequities.
It would use evidence to create and implement a cross-sector national ADHD strategy with coordinated funding.
It would also support research and public education, so future decisions are based on evidence, not assumptions.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on whether you would support an ADHD Inquiry.

Ngā mihi nui / Kind regards,
[your full name]
[your suburb or town]

Thank you for bringing your voice.