ADHD Sufferers In The Dark, As HNZ Reviews Treatment Options and Stats NZ Releases Disability Results

28 February 2025. The New Zealand Reporter is a digital member of The NZ Media Council.

“Health NZ is working hard to improve New Zealand’s approach to mental health, ensuring people are supported to stay well and have fair access to effective help. This includes supporting people with neurodiverse conditions, which present along a continuum of needs,” says Dr. Leeanne Fisher, National Chief Health and Addiction.

The NZR found that Health NZ appointed Leeanne Fisher to the role of National Chief, Mental Health and Addiction the day after it admitted to not having crucial, relevant data on a wide range of ADHD-related matters. The data gap, HNZ admitted, had impacted to determine the level of resources needed to “meet demand and need”.

A psychiatrist by profession, Fisher has worked in both Victorian and New Zealand mental health services. Her bio can be found here. She has moved back to her country of birth to take up this challenging role.

Fisher’s response came after The New Zealand Reporter had contacted the Minister of Mental Health, Matt Doocey, himself (above) in December 2024 and commencing her role only in November of the same.

“The [ADHD] survey was under development as of 13 February this year and comes on the heels of Stats NZ’s “Household Disability Survey 2023”. Released yesterday, this report, the first of its kind since 2013, does not touch specifically on the prevalence of ADHD in New Zealand society.”

“Fisher’s response reflected HNZ’s cautious, slow approach to reforming the country’s ADHD treatment framework that lacked detail and relevant data.”

The NZR

Publicity has centered on long patient wait times and access costs for seeing medical professional suitably qualified to work in the ADHD field, and the legal restrictions placed on the type of professionals who can prescribe ADHD medications.

On 18 September 2024, Health NZ admitted to not holding vital, up-to-date data in relation to ADHD patients and medical-qualified prescribers of ADHD medications.

“We can however advise there is an absence of recent information on the prevalence of mental health and addiction needs and disorders,” wrote Danielle Coe.

“This challenges our ability to ascertain the necessary level of resourcing required to Health NZ’s Mental Health & Addiction services required to meet demand and need.”

Health NZ did not know, for instance -

• “how many people have been signed off on ADHD medications and/or patient

  management plans by region (former DHB jurisdictions) and main city centres. Please add in age groups, gender, ethnicity)”

• “what are the projections for future demand of sign off?

• “how many of those patients since 2021 who were signed off and on a management plan, then disengaged from the programme? (by year until now)”

• “how many psychiatrists are required to deal with current demand for signoff and a plan and how big is the shortfall?”

• “and into the future, what number of psychiatrists will be needed to deal with future demand for signoff and a plan?

The day after this admission, Health NZ appointed Leeanne Fisher to the role of National Chief, Mental Health and Addiction. She commenced her position on 4 November.

In early December, The NZR followed up on concerns regarding the data gap and other ADHD treatment issues.

Health NZ’s Leeanne Fisher was tasked with responding to The NZR.

“Improved data” formed part of an action plan developed by “several stakeholders, including professional workforce Colleges, ADHD NZ, Health NZ, the Ministry of Health, and Pharmac developed six actions aimed at addressing barriers across the entire ADHD care continuum,” wrote Fisher.