What If We Asked for More? A Petition for ADHD Inclusion in Aotearoa

UPDATE: A petition calling for an ADHD Inquiry in Aotearoa has now been submitted and is pending parliamentary approval.

This blog post was originally shared here to gauge community response – not as a campaign launch. The feedback was quietly powerful, and several supportive messages helped confirm that this conversation needs to happen.

The petition and future updates will move to a separate space: adhdinquiry.nz (site in progress).

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I didn’t plan to write a petition. I definitely didn’t plan to ask for a public inquiry. But after reading story after story from ADHD adults and parents, I couldn’t stop thinking:

What would actually make a difference?
What would help us stop feeling shut out, punished, or invisible?
What would change things for my kids, and for families like ours?

So I started writing. Just notes at first. Then bullet points. Then I wondered: how often has Parliament been asked to act on ADHD?

Turns out… not like this.

The Petition

Title: Launch a Public Inquiry into ADHD Misdiagnosis, Exclusion, and Systemic Harm in Aotearoa

Petition Prayer:
That the House of Representatives initiate a Select Committee inquiry into the systemic harm experienced by people with ADHD in Aotearoa New Zealand; including misdiagnosis, exclusion in education and employment, stigma in healthcare, harmful language, and the failure to recognise and support ADHD through culturally safe, neuro-affirming practices.

Petition Explanation:
ADHD affects over 280,000 New Zealanders, yet our systems still fail to recognise, include, or properly support us. While some awareness has grown, we continue to see:

• Delayed or denied diagnoses
• Punitive school responses
• Inaccessible healthcare
• Stigma in workplaces
• And systemic invisibility in national policy

There is currently no national ADHD strategy, no Select Committee inquiry, and no formal accountability for the harm caused by outdated systems that were never built with us in mind.

This petition isn’t about asking for special treatment, it’s about recognising the real, structural harm experienced by people with ADHD in Aotearoa, and the urgent need for a public, cross-sector response.

We’re calling on Parliament to take this seriously. Not with another awareness week, but with a formal inquiry, backed by evidence, lived experience, and a path forward.

Australia is currently holding a Senate Inquiry into ADHD following strong community advocacy. New Zealand deserves no less.

This petition acknowledges the efforts of the ADHD Collaborative Network, including ADHD NZ, clinicians, and government agencies – to improve medication access, diagnostic consistency, and support pathways.

These are important steps. This petition seeks to build on that work by calling for a formal public inquiry into systemic harm, ensuring broader accountability across education, healthcare, employment, justice, and beyond.

Why I’m Sharing It Now

I’m not sharing this because I’m confident. I’m sharing it because I’m tired.

Tired of the stories, tired of the silence, tired of feeling like we have to prove harm just to be heard. I’m in the longest employment gap of my adult life. I’m a late-diagnosed mum and an accidental homeschooling parent. I’m not a policy expert or an official spokesperson.

But maybe that’s the point. This petition came from lived experience.

It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. But if it sparks a Select Committee inquiry, then experts, families, professionals, and ADHDers across Aotearoa would have the chance to speak up and shape what comes next.

That’s why I’m asking: Should I submit this?

The full petition draft is available below. If you have feedback, feel free to comment or email hello@rewritingnormal.co.nz.

If there’s support for it, I plan to submit the petition formally and request an 8 to 12 week signature period. If the Select Committee picks it up, there will be a public submission phase. That’s where we could all speak.

This petition isn’t about me. It’s about whether this is what you want too.

Read the full petition draft here.