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 helping them understand what ADHD looks like in real life, and how current systems are working (or not working) for people in their community.

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: ADHD experiences in your electorate

Kia ora / Hello [MP Name]

I live in [your suburb or town] and I’m writing to share my experience of how ADHD is currently understood and supported in Aotearoa, and what this looks like in your electorate.

[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. I am one of those 280,000 people.

From my experience, ADHD is often misunderstood or not well supported across systems like education, healthcare, employment, and public services. This can make everyday life harder than it needs to be.

Better understanding, clearer pathways, and more consistent support would make a meaningful difference, not just for individuals, but for families, workplaces, and communities.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts on how ADHD is currently being considered and supported within your work and electorate.

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

Thank you for bringing your voice.