Māori Problem Gambling: Too many chances

Project purpose: Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Ltd was set up in 1996 with a specific focus on Māori Public Health. The shareholder organisations are: Te Runanga o Ngāti Whatua, Raukura Hauora O Tainui and Waipareira Trust. Hapai provides public health leadership and advice to each of these providers and subcontract health promotion services back to these organisations through their own health providers; Te Ha o Te Oranga, Raukura Hauora o Tainui and Wai Health. Hapai’s core function is to provide strategic and policy public health advice and in relation to providing strategic advice on public health issues that directly impact on the health outcome for Māori. Determining a framework for the delivery of health promotion through the development and implementation of the Mauri Ora Māori Ora model which is culturally appropriate to its Māori stakeholders; raising the awareness of public health issues at iwi, hapū and whānau level; and providing strategic advice on public health issues that directly impact on the health outcome for Māori are integral parts of Hapai’s commitment to reducing health and well-being inequalities and inequities for Māori.

For every problem gambler between 5-17 people are affected and the harm is felt by family, whānau and the community. The majority of Māori lives in the North Island (87%); just under a quarter live in the Auckland region. Māori make up 11.5% of the population. Auckland is home to a slightly higher percentage of those who live in deciles 1, 2 and 10, highlighting the large gap that exists between the most well off and the least well off. During the past 12 months, just under a quarter of all National Gaming Machine proceeds were from Auckland. Eighty-two percent of Māori women cited pokie machines as their gambling problem. Statistics from 2007 show that 29.6% of new gambling clients to Gambling Helpline Ltd Services were Māori. Ministry of Health client data showed that the number of clients has risen to 36% in 2009. Māori women are the second largest group seeking face to face counselling after Pākehā men. Eighty-two percent of Māori women cited pokie machines as their gambling problem. Hapai develops and implements problem gambling policy and other public health strategies to contribute to whānau ora at a local and national level. The problem gambling team provide information, policy development and support to Māori. The purpose of this literature review is to locate gaps in literature, research and services for potential future research programme designed to reduce and eliminate the harm felt by Māori as a direct and indirect result of problem gambling.

The programme of work to be carried out: The student will undertake a comprehensive literature review into the effect of problem gambling on Māori health utilising the Mauri Ora Māori Ora model as a framework. A comprehensive review of current literature will help confirm the need for a small Māori problem gambling library/resource centre and further investigative research required to aid the reduction of problem gambling within Māori communities.

Day to day nature of the work

  1. Attend staff hui to provide an update to the Hapai whare on progress and areas for support identified (usually Mondays)
  2. Review relevant evidence-based literature and culturally-based literature
  3. Inform the setup of Māori problem gambling resources/library as appropriate material becomes available
  4. Keep a reading/review log
  5. Locate gaps in Māori problem gambling research.

Skills the student will learn: Students will gain an understanding of:

  1. Māori public health in action
  2. The Mauri Ora Māori Ora model
  3. Literature searching and reviewing literature
  4. Knowledge of Māori Public Health in particular problem gambling
  5. Māori governance
  6. Report writing
  7. Participating in the production of an article for publication.

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