Unfolding stories: Whanau members perceptions of Maori womens gambling

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Unfolding storiesWhanau members perceptions of
Maori womens gambling

• Laurie Morrison (Te Arawa)
• University of Waikato
• Hamilton,

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Introduction

• Overview
• Their perceptions
• The effects
• How they coped
• Perception of own role
• Practical solutions
• Where Too!
• Conclusion

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Overview

• Why ask whanau/partners?
• Not much information available
• Not usually consulted
• Whanau involved in the problem developing
• Whanau support necessary for healing
• Offer a broad range of
• Experience
• Models for change

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Whanau conceptions of Motives for Gambling
Individual

• Gambling an addiction
• She had an addiction with cards and housie now
  the pokies, it just goes on and on
• an addiction that dominates their lifestyle. It
  is also destructive for them and their whanau
  members because it affects us all
• Gambling hereditary
• It is in her blood. I think that is why she
  gambles its in her blood
• Gambling a disease
• It means that there is something really bad for
  both Mum and everyone, especially Mum. I know
  that it is a disease

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Whanau Perceptions of Motives for Gambling
Social

• Gambling
• Was associated with socialising with their
  partners
• Provided opportunity to develop social
  relationships with whanau, partners, friends and
  workmates
• Venues became social centres for the women, their
  partners and whanau members
• Provided opportunity to self indulge with the
  assistance of staff and venue resources
• Promised financial treats

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Financial Treats

• Gambling perceived as benefiting whanau members
  and partners as well as the women themselves
• I suppose that is one way that I would sum up the
  gambling - it was about getting treated. Yes, for
  one night we could live it up like queens.
• She often came home with 500- 2000 and that
  went on our boat. Yeah I encouraged her to gamble
  big time to get the goods

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Whanau Gamblers Themselves

• Some whanau supported gambling
• Provided Funds
• Colluded to continue gambling or indulge in other
  substances e.g.. Alcohol and drugs
• Normalised the behaviour
• Minimised the consequences
• we all started to play on the machinesI spent
  most of my money on the horses and drinking, and
  gave her some of my winnings so I didnt have to
  stop gambling. She was happy being left on the
  pokie machines...

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Effects of Gambling

• Financial Problems
• At crisis point, with serious consequences
• Loss of Assets
• Homes, whenua (land) and chattels
• Imposed financial distress on whanau and extended
  whanau
• Strained marital relationship

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Effects on Relationships

• Relationship Stress
• Neglect of children, partner, home cultural
  obligations
• Financial loss
• Imposed financial distress on whanau
• Concealed the gambling from whanau
• Deception of partner and whanau
• Denial of marital distress by the woman and
  partner
• Denial of financial stress by the woman and
  partner
• Unwilling to seek external help
• Domestic violence

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Effects of Gambling

• Limited problem solving skills by woman, partner
  whanau
• Limited understandings
• Gambling normalised
• Limited support both for and by whanau
• Dislocated from iwi and hapu supports

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Effects on Children their perspective

• Poor home care
• No-one at home
• No provision of nutritious meals
• Children forced to take on adult roles and
  responsibilities
• Became adults early
• Family therapists
• Financial managers
• Caregivers

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Effects on children (cont.)

• Children still monitoring as adults
• Set up support systems with pokie venue managers
• Disrupted relationships with other siblings
• Jeopardised own relationships
• Hiding money
• Paying Bills, loaning money
• Still loaned money for gambling

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How they coped

• Whanau Support
• Partner stopped gambling
• Signed contracts with each other
• Sought professional help and met financial costs
  of consultations
• Partner/whanau member attended support groups
  meetings with problem gambler
• Whanau provided a supportive home environment
• Whanau accepted problem gambler despite Relapse

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How they coped (cont)

• Maori womens support group
• Provided with socio/cultural and historical
  context to gambling
• Gained understandings about gambling and
  motivations
• Kaumatua Services
• Cultural understandings and gambling
• Counselling Services
• Marital relationship
• Mainstream Gambling Services
• Maori counsellors,
• Gamblers Anonymous Support Group

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Perception of own role

• Gender inequality
• Perpetuated insecurities
• Delegated responsibility for family decision
  making
• Unemployment issues
• Infidelities
• Spending Sprees
• Denial
• About relationship
• Used other substances to cope
• Double Standards
• Mistrust and doubting

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Practical Solutions

• Whanau of Maori women gamblers can
• Attend joint counselling sessions
• Be involvemed in joint ventures
• Support partners in cultural activities
• Provide emotional and physical support
• Provide positive affirmations

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Barriers to Coping

• No or inappropriate medical advice
• Medication
• No awareness of available services
• Misunderstood by authorities
• Police
• Whanau gamblers
• Colluding and aiding the deception
• Loaning of money
• Lack of whanau support

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What was achieved

• This study has aimed to
• Enrich our understandings of the adaptation
  patterns of Maori whanau member/s
• Have implications for Maori health policies
• Be relevant for the wider field of international
  cross-comparative research on indigenous people
• Provide some insight into gambling
• Help lessen the Maori-Pakeha gap currently
  extant in Aotearoa.

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Conclusion

• Set out to make a change
• Made their despair positive by supporting each
  other
• They became advocates to raise awareness of the
  effects of gambling for Maori women
• Some sponsored their partners into self
  employment
• Others became better partners by developing more
  positive attitudes toward providing support
• Gambling addiction can be coped with by becoming
  self-aware and accepting responsibility to play
  an active role in dealing with it.

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Where Too!

• Small insight to help lessen the gap that
  currently exists in Aotearoa
• Joint Collaboration International Indigenous/non
  Indigenous Research Projects
• Maori Gambling Service Provider Development
• Still emerging
• Still competing against mainstream
• Still unfunded
• Is it enough?
• A Tohu - Hone and MAF

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Acknowledgements

• Participants
• Te Arawa Advisory Roopu
• Health Research Council
• University of Waikato Scholarship Committee
• Dr Mike Hills, Dr Heather Hamerton Associate
  Professor Aroha Yates/Smith (Supervisors)