The aim of this project was to carry out a formative investigation of the impacts of gambling (including problem gambling) on Māori communities/whānau/hapū/iwi. It is well established that Māori are disproportionately affected by problem gambling, and the purpose of this project is to develop a better understanding of the range and nature of the impacts of gambling on Māori.
It was intended that this project would inform ongoing service and policy development and be informative for the ongoing direction of research and the development of methodologies for monitoring gambling harm in New Zealand.
Purpose
The overall aim of this project was to:
- Understand the impacts of gambling behaviours, including problem gambling, for Māori communities.
The objectives of the project were to:
- Examine the impacts of gambling on Mana Motuhake within the different regions, and their effects on Māori communities
- Record and examine stories of experiences of Māori regarding understanding the impacts of gambling
- Develop an improved understanding of the impacts of gambling within the context of a Māori world view
- Provide clear recommendations and advice that will inform the future direction of approaches and services appropriate to Māori communities.
Methodology
There were four main research approaches utilised to complete the project. The Kaupapa Māori (KM) approach was the predominant method employed. Qualitative methods such as focus group discussions with participants throughout the country were utilised to gather indepth information regarding the topic area. Specifically, the analysis was conducted using NVivo, a qualitative data management tool, to categorise the data under five key themes, which were:
- what is gambling
- types of gambling
- reasons for gambling
- impacts and experiences of gambling
- strategies and ideas to reduce gambling-related harm.
A literature review was also conducted to provide further context of the issues regarding the impacts of gambling for Māori. A quantitative approach was utilised to analyse the focus group discussion data. Specifically, this included frequency counts of the number of times that specific issues, views and key themes were expressed by the participants within the focus group discussions. Furthermore, frequency counts helped to illustrate similarities and/or differences in views and opinions of participants across the regions.
Data Collection:
Focus group discussions were organised and conducted by the research assistants that were recruited from each participating Māori Provider. All of the focus groups were held within the respective regions of the Māori Providers. Each Provider were required to facilitate and conduct up to a maximum of six focus groups per region. The compositions of the focus groups were left to the discretion of the research assistant and Māori Providers.
Key Results
The following are key findings that have emerged from the focus group discussions and participant stories.
- The project highlights the importance of working alongside communities to engage and enable communities to discuss, define and share information regarding gambling and gambling-related issues
- Participants across the regions who took part in the focus group discussions enjoyed the opportunity to be able to share their views and opinions about gambling within their communities. For many, it was the first and only opportunity they ever had to talk about gambling issues from their own personal experiences
- Because of the opportunity to share their views, many participants from the different regions voiced their own commitment to supporting as best they can, their own whānau members and those living in their communities who may experience issues regarding gambling
- All of the regions identified more education and awareness aimed at the community level. In particular, the main vehicle by which to achieve this was through the utilisation of local Marae to encourage its use among Māori communities, and to encourage dialogue around issues that are pertinent to those communities
- Participants‟ stories of experiences highlight the significant impacts that gambling has on individuals, their whānau and wider communities. Importantly, it also highlights that not all gambling activities cause irreversible harm. There are positive benefits that come from those communal gambling activities that are focused on building and resourcing communities, and provide forums for people to be able to socialise
- Other strategies to address gambling issues included the creation of resources containing messages that are created by Māori, for Māori, as the messages contained would be of direct relevance to their communities, with messages that are appropriate in a local context
Key findings from Māori Providers have identified commitment to:
- Actively working alongside their communities to ensure that strategies and approaches developed are creative and innovative in addressing the diverse needs of their communities
- Utilising the strategies identified by their communities for the purposes of responding to, and improving current policy and advice both within local and national contexts, regarding the location, the minimisation, reduction and monitoring of pokie machine numbers and venues within their regions
- Engaging in meaningful dialogue to assist in the development of strategies identified by communities within the regions to further progress the awareness of gambling-related harm within a local holistic Māori context
- Finding ways that will best support and resource future projects of this kind, given the national community-based approach and the public health nature of this issue
- Supporting the development of community-based research and initiatives within their communities, based on the findings from this project
- Engaging with funders to appropriately resource and support Māori communities to actively participate in, and be involved in local government policies regarding the minimisation of gambling-related harm for their respective regions
- Working alongside each other to ensure that strategies arising from each of the regions are developed to ensure a community-driven approach continues at a regional level
- Ensuring ongoing involvement, networking and collaboration with local, regional and national gambling provider forums, to ensure the continuous flow of information sharing at all levels
- Collaborating with potential and existing funding bodies in order to identify and support the development of strategies identified to reduce gambling-related harm for their respective communities.
Finally, this project has highlighted that local, regional and national organisations and government agencies need to begin listening to, and actively engaging with Māori communities and Māori Providers to ensured that the community voice is heard and responded to in a proactive manner, regarding the location and number of gambling activities within their respective regions.