We are pleased to share the successful recipient and project for our Māori Lived Experience scholarship – Rose Lee Heta, who is undertaking “Peer Support from a Kaupapa Māori lens for Gambling Harm Minimisation”
Gambling harm caused by electronic gaming machines continues to disproportionately affect Maaori communities across Aotearoa, contributing to social, economic, and intergenerational trauma. Despite policy efforts, mainstream approaches to harm prevention often fail to resonate with Maaori worldviews or address the deeper systemic and historical factors at play. This research uses a Kaupapa Maaori methodology to explore the lived experiences ofwhānau affected by electronic gambling machines with a focus on identifying culturally grounded, transformative solutions. Guided by the principles of tino rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga, and manaakitanga, this study centres Maaori voices, values, and knowledge systems in both the process and outcomes of research. Through qualitative engagement with communities, this research aims to reveal how colonial structures intersect with the gambling industry and how Maaori-led, strengths-based approaches can inform more effective prevention and healing pathways. Ultimately, this work contributes to the reclamation of Maaori wellbeing by placing Indigenous ways of knowing and being at the heart of gambling harm reduction.
Research for Rose’s work is underway, and began positively, with strong interest from people with lived experience of gambling harm and peer support.
Rose is the mother to six young adults and has been able to continue in her academic learning through their support and encouragement.
This project is supported by Frozen Funds.
