title: Māori Women and Gambling: Every Day is a War Day!

authors: Morrison, Laurie Elena

subjects: Maori

abstract: This study was concerned with the health implications of new forms of gambling such as casinos, pokie machines and internet gambling for Māori women and their families in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty region of Aotearoa (New Zealand). It set out to discover what culturally appropriate services were available and the extent to which Māori women gamblers were utilising them. The literature documenting Māori perceptions of gambling shows that Māori women gamblers and their partner/whānau members and gambling service providers have been little studied previously.
These goals translated into the following specific aims: 1) to study how Māori women problem gamblers, their partner or whānau members and key informants perceived gambling, what it meant to them and why they did it; 2) to investigate the consequences of gambling for Māori women, whānau and service providers in dealing with the effects of gambling; 3) to report on how these three groups dealt with the effects of gambling; and 4) to discover what helped to bring about positive changes for the three groups.
 All of the aims were achieved. 
A Māori approach (Kaupapa Māori), combined with a naturalistic approach to data collection, was adopted. Qualitative methods are most appropriate to use when working with some Māori, as there is a growing realisation that research with Māori needs to be interactive. A Māori research procedure modelled on the ritual ceremony of encounter (Pōwhiri) provided an appropriate structure for the development and presentation of the research process. The major focus was on the qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews in two locations - Rotorua and Auckland. The interviews were conducted with twenty Māori women gamblers, sixteen whānau members including partners and ten interviews with staff involved in services that provided help for problem gamblers. The three interview schedules were based on a number of broad themes and open-ended questions to obtain meaningful descriptive data. The interviews were audio recorded and used to produce transcripts that were then sent back to the participants for feedback. Qualitative data analysis was conducted on the returned documents. 
The findings from this study revealed major impacts of the women's socio-economic, familial and societal circumstances on gambling behaviour and its effects, which are areas of concern for mental health professionals and researchers. The mythical Māori canoes on which Māori voyaged from their place of origin (Hawaiiki) to Aotearoa, the Waka, provided an appropriate metaphor to present the interrelationship between the pull and push factors toward gambling, and its implications for society. This is illustrated as a spinning waka, Te Waka Hūrihuri. On the other hand, Te Waka Māia (courageous) demonstrates the relationships between the variables that help Māori women gamblers to cope and helpful strategies found to assist them to modify or stop their gambling behaviour. It is recommended that the government limit the proliferation of gaming venues and continue to encourage development of emerging Māori services. Moreover, a coordinated approach is essential, as Māori women gamblers, partners and whānau members need to heal together for positive outcomes for Māori health development in Aotearoa. 
The main implication of this study is that a wide range of further research into Māori and gambling is required. Recommendations on ways in which the current delivery of services in Rotorua and Auckland could be improved are:
 	That the Ministry of Health purchase services that establish support groups for Māori people with problem gambling and their whānau, and
 	That non-Māori provider services and organisations support the development of emerging Māori services.
Heeding the outcome of this research should help improve New Zealand's existing health policy and capacity for Māori women's health development. It should also enrich our understanding of the adaptation patterns of Māori whānau member/s, and thus should have implications, not only for Māori health policies, but also relevance for the wider field of international cross-comparative research on indigenous gambling and mental health issues.  Limitations of this study included a small, localised sample that means the findings can only tentatively be generalised to the wider population of Māori women gamblers. Nonetheless, information gained from the study contributes to understanding of the adaptation patterns of Māori women gamblers, their whānau member/s, and those who are trying to help them.  It is hoped that the study will make it at least a little less true that  every day is a war day  for Māori women and their whānau trying to deal with the problem of gambling.

text: Māori Women and Gambling: Every Day is a War Day! This study was concerned with the health implications of new forms of gambling such as casinos, pokie machines and internet gambling for Māori women and their families in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty region of Aotearoa (New Zealand). It set out to discover what culturally appropriate services were available and the extent to which Māori women gamblers were utilising them. The literature documenting Māori perceptions of gambling shows that Māori women gamblers and their partner/whānau members and gambling service providers have been little studied previously.
These goals translated into the following specific aims: 1) to study how Māori women problem gamblers, their partner or whānau members and key informants perceived gambling, what it meant to them and why they did it; 2) to investigate the consequences of gambling for Māori women, whānau and service providers in dealing with the effects of gambling; 3) to report on how these three groups dealt with the effects of gambling; and 4) to discover what helped to bring about positive changes for the three groups.
 All of the aims were achieved. 
A Māori approach (Kaupapa Māori), combined with a naturalistic approach to data collection, was adopted. Qualitative methods are most appropriate to use when working with some Māori, as there is a growing realisation that research with Māori needs to be interactive. A Māori research procedure modelled on the ritual ceremony of encounter (Pōwhiri) provided an appropriate structure for the development and presentation of the research process. The major focus was on the qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews in two locations - Rotorua and Auckland. The interviews were conducted with twenty Māori women gamblers, sixteen whānau members including partners and ten interviews with staff involved in services that provided help for problem gamblers. The three interview schedules were based on a number of broad themes and open-ended questions to obtain meaningful descriptive data. The interviews were audio recorded and used to produce transcripts that were then sent back to the participants for feedback. Qualitative data analysis was conducted on the returned documents. 
The findings from this study revealed major impacts of the women's socio-economic, familial and societal circumstances on gambling behaviour and its effects, which are areas of concern for mental health professionals and researchers. The mythical Māori canoes on which Māori voyaged from their place of origin (Hawaiiki) to Aotearoa, the Waka, provided an appropriate metaphor to present the interrelationship between the pull and push factors toward gambling, and its implications for society. This is illustrated as a spinning waka, Te Waka Hūrihuri. On the other hand, Te Waka Māia (courageous) demonstrates the relationships between the variables that help Māori women gamblers to cope and helpful strategies found to assist them to modify or stop their gambling behaviour. It is recommended that the government limit the proliferation of gaming venues and continue to encourage development of emerging Māori services. Moreover, a coordinated approach is essential, as Māori women gamblers, partners and whānau members need to heal together for positive outcomes for Māori health development in Aotearoa. 
The main implication of this study is that a wide range of further research into Māori and gambling is required. Recommendations on ways in which the current delivery of services in Rotorua and Auckland could be improved are:
 	That the Ministry of Health purchase services that establish support groups for Māori people with problem gambling and their whānau, and
 	That non-Māori provider services and organisations support the development of emerging Māori services.
Heeding the outcome of this research should help improve New Zealand's existing health policy and capacity for Māori women's health development. It should also enrich our understanding of the adaptation patterns of Māori whānau member/s, and thus should have implications, not only for Māori health policies, but also relevance for the wider field of international cross-comparative research on indigenous gambling and mental health issues.  Limitations of this study included a small, localised sample that means the findings can only tentatively be generalised to the wider population of Māori women gamblers. Nonetheless, information gained from the study contributes to understanding of the adaptation patterns of Māori women gamblers, their whānau member/s, and those who are trying to help them.  It is hoped that the study will make it at least a little less true that  every day is a war day  for Māori women and their whānau trying to deal with the problem of gambling.

year: 2008

title: Whānau Stories: Creating meaningful engagement and wellbeing for the indigenous culture of Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Cruse, Diana Caroline Annavale

subjects: Engagement

abstract: This research sees my interests coalesce into a particular focus on how collaborative partnerships with parents/caregivers can provide whānau Māori with opportunities to strengthen wellbeing in their own lives. It is located in Aotearoa New Zealand and within the context of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996), Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum.  The Ministry of Education has a target that 98% of all children in Aotearoa New Zealand under 5 will attend an early childhood education setting (Ministry of Education, 2016), with Māori children having lower participation rates than the national participation rate (Ministry of Education, 2013).  The premise for this thesis is that meaningful whānau engagement in early learning contexts within Aotearoa New Zealand can empower whānau Māori, and honour the promises made in Te Tiriti o Waitangi of partnership, participation, and protection.
Therefore, this thesis sets out to examine what constitutes meaningful engagement for whānau Māori in an early childhood setting in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how meaningful engagement can assist whānau to enjoy an increase of wellbeing.
To explore this issue, I conducted research within an early childhood setting in Aotearoa New Zealand, using methodologies of Kaupapa Māori Research and Narrative Inquiry.  I listened to the narratives of whānau Māori indicating how meaningful engagement was created for them, and investigated if links were generated between engagement and wellbeing for their whānau. These links were identified in the literature as significant levers for educational success.
This research discovered three stages of engagement for the whānau Māori who participated in this study: establishing engagement, developing engagement and solidifying engagement.  Once created, meaningful engagement can lead to flourishing, indicating that there is relationship between meaningful engagement and whānau wellbeing.

text: Whānau Stories: Creating meaningful engagement and wellbeing for the indigenous culture of Aotearoa New Zealand This research sees my interests coalesce into a particular focus on how collaborative partnerships with parents/caregivers can provide whānau Māori with opportunities to strengthen wellbeing in their own lives. It is located in Aotearoa New Zealand and within the context of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996), Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum.  The Ministry of Education has a target that 98% of all children in Aotearoa New Zealand under 5 will attend an early childhood education setting (Ministry of Education, 2016), with Māori children having lower participation rates than the national participation rate (Ministry of Education, 2013).  The premise for this thesis is that meaningful whānau engagement in early learning contexts within Aotearoa New Zealand can empower whānau Māori, and honour the promises made in Te Tiriti o Waitangi of partnership, participation, and protection.
Therefore, this thesis sets out to examine what constitutes meaningful engagement for whānau Māori in an early childhood setting in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how meaningful engagement can assist whānau to enjoy an increase of wellbeing.
To explore this issue, I conducted research within an early childhood setting in Aotearoa New Zealand, using methodologies of Kaupapa Māori Research and Narrative Inquiry.  I listened to the narratives of whānau Māori indicating how meaningful engagement was created for them, and investigated if links were generated between engagement and wellbeing for their whānau. These links were identified in the literature as significant levers for educational success.
This research discovered three stages of engagement for the whānau Māori who participated in this study: establishing engagement, developing engagement and solidifying engagement.  Once created, meaningful engagement can lead to flourishing, indicating that there is relationship between meaningful engagement and whānau wellbeing.

year: 2017

title: Expanding financial communication: Investor relations, crowdfunding, and democracy in the time of fintech

authors: Doan, Mai Anh

subjects: financial communication

abstract: This thesis studied financial communication in the context of a globalised, technologized, and financialised world. It arose from two seemingly opposite trends in practice and in academia. In practice, not only are technology and finance becoming more pervasive on their own, they are also merging as fintech, which is further disrupting financial and social practices. In academia, financial communication, more commonly, if incorrectly, known as investor relations, does not connect with these realities. While the trends in practice hold the promise of making profound impacts in democratising finance and promoting egalitarianism, their neglect in academia not only does a disservice to the practice but also threatens to further segregate and lower the poor reputation of public relations, which is the umbrella discipline that contains financial communication.
Accordingly, the thesis attempted to bring financial communication closer to practice and to make an original contribution to knowledge by examining financial communication in the context of fintech. Specifically, it sought answers to the following two research questions: (1) What is the current state of academic research on investor relations and financial communication? and (2) In what ways could investor relations and financial communication integrate crowdfunding to their practice and research to further democratise finance and contribute to a fully functioning society?
The thesis with publication includes four publications – three published journal articles and one book chapter (in press) – and each arose from a research project relevant to the overall theme. These projects identified how financial communication continues to be academically insular and disconnected from technology. Their findings also suggested how individually and in concert, by incorporating fintech and crowdfunding, financial communication can open up ways that benefit both practice and research. 
The thesis also found evidence that crowdfunding has the potential to improve financial democracy across the globe. For it to harness that potential, however, the thesis proposes that financial communicators become advocates for increasing financial literacy and inclusiveness for individuals and for the greater good of the society. The function should not only provide tangible results for businesses but also expand and re-focus on building communities and on re-balancing power. The thesis argues that the online environment of crowdfunding and fintech with new players and rules needs researchers to change. 
The change means researchers need to re-examine the nature, characteristics, scope and impact of communication, to look outside of their own discipline to add resources, to diversify their approaches, and to go beyond the traditional organisation-centric orientation of investor relations and public relations. In so doing so, financial communication will also be advancing the movement for improving the academic and social reputation of public relations. The thesis concludes that what financial communication has not been able to accomplish today can also serve as a fertile ground for future research directions.

text: Expanding financial communication: Investor relations, crowdfunding, and democracy in the time of fintech This thesis studied financial communication in the context of a globalised, technologized, and financialised world. It arose from two seemingly opposite trends in practice and in academia. In practice, not only are technology and finance becoming more pervasive on their own, they are also merging as fintech, which is further disrupting financial and social practices. In academia, financial communication, more commonly, if incorrectly, known as investor relations, does not connect with these realities. While the trends in practice hold the promise of making profound impacts in democratising finance and promoting egalitarianism, their neglect in academia not only does a disservice to the practice but also threatens to further segregate and lower the poor reputation of public relations, which is the umbrella discipline that contains financial communication.
Accordingly, the thesis attempted to bring financial communication closer to practice and to make an original contribution to knowledge by examining financial communication in the context of fintech. Specifically, it sought answers to the following two research questions: (1) What is the current state of academic research on investor relations and financial communication? and (2) In what ways could investor relations and financial communication integrate crowdfunding to their practice and research to further democratise finance and contribute to a fully functioning society?
The thesis with publication includes four publications – three published journal articles and one book chapter (in press) – and each arose from a research project relevant to the overall theme. These projects identified how financial communication continues to be academically insular and disconnected from technology. Their findings also suggested how individually and in concert, by incorporating fintech and crowdfunding, financial communication can open up ways that benefit both practice and research. 
The thesis also found evidence that crowdfunding has the potential to improve financial democracy across the globe. For it to harness that potential, however, the thesis proposes that financial communicators become advocates for increasing financial literacy and inclusiveness for individuals and for the greater good of the society. The function should not only provide tangible results for businesses but also expand and re-focus on building communities and on re-balancing power. The thesis argues that the online environment of crowdfunding and fintech with new players and rules needs researchers to change. 
The change means researchers need to re-examine the nature, characteristics, scope and impact of communication, to look outside of their own discipline to add resources, to diversify their approaches, and to go beyond the traditional organisation-centric orientation of investor relations and public relations. In so doing so, financial communication will also be advancing the movement for improving the academic and social reputation of public relations. The thesis concludes that what financial communication has not been able to accomplish today can also serve as a fertile ground for future research directions.

year: 2018