Sonny Kotuhi spent years of his life betting on the races. He has now turned his life around and hopes to inspire others to quit. Photo / Warren Buckland
Sonny Kotuhi spent years of his life betting on the races. He has now turned his life around and hopes to inspire others to quit. Photo / Warren Buckland
At eight years old, Sonny Kotuhi was already addicted to betting on the races.
Enticed by the thrill, he would often escape to the racetracks as a way of coping with trauma during his childhood.
From that point on it was 31 years of stealing, lying, and even six stintsin prison as a harrowing gambling addiction took hold.
“As long as I had money, I’d be at the TAB gambling, or at the horse races,” Kotuhi told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“The truth is I loved it. I didn’t want to admit it back then, but I loved the thrill and loved the risk-taking.”
Fast forward to today, Kotuhi is a man changed. Now he’s spending his days helping those in Hawke’s Bay prison shake off their demons like he has.
He works in a peer support role, giving talks about harmful gambling to inmates. Many of them know him from his past, fuelling his desire to help them too.
What prompted Kotuhi to make the change to his life? He said it was a variety of things, but crucially he found a “why” - a reason to quit.
That “why” was the birth of his first daughter while he was still serving time.
“When I held her, I just fell in love with her,” he said.
“That was the start of the change, I did everything I could while on that last prison sentence to change. I got out, engaged in counselling and continued my journey.”
Nine years recovered from his gambling addiction, Kotuhi can reflect back on the negative impacts his addiction had on people.
“You become someone you’re not. Because I did it for so long it was like having breakfast - it felt like if I didn’t have it, I was missing out on something.
“Having that ‘why’, which was my daughter, made me think about the fact her life and her future depended on me getting myself right, or else she will have a similar story to mine.”
At the end of the month, Kotuhi’s story, along with others, will be shared in a new documentary screened that looks at the harm gambling causes in the region.
The project has been spearheaded by Te Rangihaeata Oranga - Gambling Recovery Service Hawke’s Bay, a service previously utilised by Kotuhi and many others in the region.
Kotuhi said both the organisation and his connections through church had helped him immensely with his journey.
“I’m super grateful for where I am now in life, but also super grateful to those who have helped me along the way.”
While appreciative of the support he had received, he said there was always a need for more support for addictions in Hawke’s Bay and said he continues to see first-hand the negative effects, even on his own family members.
“There’s so much more support across the board that could be done including with addictions like drugs and alcohol,” he said.
“There’s bits and pieces here and there, but there needs to be a whole lot more.”
Sonny Kotuhi spent years of his life at the racetracks and has since turned his life around. Photo / Warren Buckland
Another thing he’s fighting for is the removal of pokie machines, a stance supported by many addiction advocates across New Zealand.
Statistics show $12.5 million was generated over a three-month period at the start of this year from slot machines alone in Hawke’s Bay.
“Get rid of the pokies. It’s easier said than done because it funds so many things, but the overall harm is significant,” he said.
Kotuhi said often people fell into programmes and didn’t have any clear goal or motivation as to why they wanted to change and that was a key motivator for change.
“You can say there’s help and there’s support, but it really comes down to the individual.
“It’s for them to find their ‘why’. If you find your ‘why’, that’s what will get you through those hard days.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
